Canada Day celebrations and protests as nation’s capital turns red, white

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Canada Day celebrations were held in Ottawa on Friday, after a two-year hiatus from COVID-19 pandemic precautions that saw Canadians marking the country’s birthday from home or online.

The SkyHawks, the country’s only military parachute team, returned to the nation’s capital, while members of the public — and their pets — sported red and white. In normal years, Canada Day festivities typically draw thousands to the lawns and streets around Parliament Hill for concerts, fireworks and parties.

Leading up to festivities, tensions ran high as anti-government protesters gathered in downtown Ottawa amid a significant police presence. After a confrontation between police officers and civilians in front of the National War Memorial the day before, four people were arrested.

In Toronto, Indigenous-rights demonstrators wearing orange shirts took to the streets to protest what they called “economic genocide,” arguing that this holiday erases Indigenous people’s contributions and fails to acknowledge the struggles they face today.