March 15th has seen some remarkable moments in Canada, ranging from the birth of our national identity to the expansion of our great western cities. Here are some of the highlights for your archives:
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1967 – A Song for the Nation: In Ottawa, a special joint committee of the Senate and House of Commons recommended that “O Canada” be officially designated as Canada’s national anthem. While it had been sung for decades, it wasn’t officially signed into law until the National Anthem Act in 1980. It’s worth noting that the committee also recommended keeping “God Save the Queen” as the Royal Anthem. It’s a great example of how Canada was balancing its British traditions with its growing independent identity in the 60s!
Of course these day’s it’s “God Save the King”. The last day “God Save the King” was used as the Royal Anthem was February 6, 1952. This was the day King George VI passed away in his sleep at Sandringham House. Because the transition of the Crown is instantaneous (the principle of “The King is dead, long live the Queen”), the anthem immediately shifted to “God Save the Queen” the moment Princess Elizabeth became Queen.
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1930 – BC’s First “Forest Plantation”: A group gathered in Surrey’s Green Timbers Urban Forest to plant over 120 trees. This marked British Columbia’s first official forest plantation, a site that remains a vital urban park today.
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1870 – The Birth of Granville Townsite: The settlement known locally as “Gastown” was officially named Granville Townsite. This area would eventually be incorporated as the City of Vancouver in 1886.
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1535 – A Name is Born: While it took place across several months of exploration, historical records link this period of Jacques Cartier’s second voyage to his first encounters with the Iroquoian word kanata (village), which he documented in his journals as the name for the land that would become Canada.
Blast from the Past: March 15, 1985
Since we were talking about the 80s recently, let’s look at what was topping the charts and the box office 41 years ago today!
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Top Song in Canada: “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner. It was holding strong at #1 on the RPM Canadian Singles Chart, just as the Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance” was starting to climb.
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Top Movie: “Witness” starring Harrison Ford. It was the #1 movie in North America that week, captivating audiences with its story set in Amish country.
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