Canada Day lineup unveiled as Ottawa readies for a national celebration like no other
LeBreton Flats in Ottawa will once again host the national Canada Day celebration on July 1, and this year's festivities will feature some top local talent.
The party marking 158 years since Confederation will include a noon ceremony and an evening concert featuring Ottawa's own Nick Durocher, who goes by the stage name TALK.
Sarah McLachlan, Coeur de pirate, Tom Cochrane, Mitsou, Amanda Marshall, Roch Voisine, Randy Bachman, Édith Butler, Aasiva and Muzion are among the other Canadian artists who will perform at LeBreton Flats, according to Canadian Heritage, the federal department organizing the event.
Isabelle Racicot, co-host of CBC podcast and radio series Seat at the Table, will host the evening show from 8 to 10 p.m. ET. The national broadcast will also include performances by Blue Rodeo in Summerside, P.E.I, and more artists in Vancouver and Yellowknife.
The show will also feature a list special guests including Jeff Douglas, known to his compatriots as Joe Canada from that classic "I am Canadian" beer ad.
This July 1 will also mark the first Canada Day celebration since U.S. President Donald Trump launched his trade war and began threatening to make Canada the "51st state."
"More than ever, this year is the perfect opportunity to wave our flag proudly and show the world what makes us the True North strong and free. Canadians are encouraged to take part in celebrations in their communities across the country and in the heart of Canada's Capital Region," Canadian Heritage said.
More to explore around the capital
Three more sites around the capital will host different activities on Canada Day.
Parliament Hill is the place to be to see the Ceremonial Guard Band, bagpipes, demonstrations by the Snowbirds and a big screen showing the main shows from LeBreton.
Just down Wellington Street, the lawn in front of the Supreme Court of Canada will host a new "family-friendly space" featuring yoga and drumming workshops.
Across the Ottawa River in Old Hull, expect "a festive atmosphere with family activities during the day and captivating evening performances by famous artists."
You can find a full list of performances and activities on the official Canada Day website.
Canadians are also invited to record a short video "to express what makes them proud to be Canadian," said Heritage Canada. To submit a video, visit the O Canada! Station website or a video booth at one of many major VIA Rail stations across the country.
"This year, more than ever, Canada will shine with its shared energy, diversity and the spirit of unity that connects us from coast to coast to coast," said Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault said in the news release.
"As a country, we form a vibrant mosaic and we become stronger when we honour the ties that bind us and celebrate together."
To get everyone in the festive mood, the department has also released its official Canada Day playlist, and is encouraging Canadians to "discover the artists who will be taking centre stage on July 1."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
34 minutes ago
- CTV News
Hundreds of First Nations members protest Ontario mining bill at Queen's Park
Controversy continues to grow over the Ford government's Bill 5 as opposition leaders and First Nations groups raise their concerns. Siobhan Morris reports. TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government is pushing through a controversial mining bill despite the protests of several hundred First Nations members who came from the far north to the front lawn of Queen's Park on Monday. The province has moved to shut down debate on a mining law known as Bill 5 that would give the government power to suspend provincial and municipal laws for chosen projects in areas they deem to have economic importance – and remove some endangered species protections. The proposed legislation has sparked an angry backlash from First Nations who say the bill tramples their rights and ignores their concerns. The government is speeding up the passage of a plethora of bills before the legislature rises later this week for a summer break. Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford says the province will pass the bill into law this week, which is when he and the government will begin consultations with First Nations in earnest. First Nation leaders say the fight will come to the land if Ontario does not alter course. 'Our rights are not for sale,' said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse. The crowd chanted 'kill Bill 5, kill Bill 5' while politicians inside the legislature debated a motion to speed up the bill. A legislative committee heard from First Nations leaders and environmental groups, as well as mining groups, over two days and as the committee was considering amendments last week the NDP and Liberals used procedural tools to grind the process to a halt, in protest. Government house leader Steve Clark is now stepping in to limit further committee time and require the bill to go back to the house for third reading, with just one hour of debate, and a final vote that same day. While Bill 5 got two days of committee hearings, the six other pieces of legislation the government is speeding up have had no hearings, and will have as little as half an hour of third-reading debate, with just nine minutes each allotted to the two recognized opposition parties. New Democrat Sol Mamakwa, the legislature's lone First Nations member, said Ford was 'telling untruths' about his people's approval of the mining bill. Speaker Donna Skelly asked him to withdraw the comment, which Mamakwa refused to do so she booted him from question period. The opposition parties say pushing bills through without much public consultation or debate is undemocratic. The NDP's Opposition house leader, John Vanthof, spoke in a debate last week over the government limiting debate and bypassing committee for four bills – including the budget bill – in what's called a time allocation motion. 'What's happening now with the time allocation, specifically on four bills, is removing the right of the people to speak, and in many ways, the opposition to speak,' Vanthof said. 'You actually don't need a parliament. We're actually almost going back to where you have, like, a king. That's truly scary. I'm not opposed to the monarchy as a figurehead, but we came very far in our democracies to actually have parliaments. What the government is doing is basically making the premier the king.' Vanthof stressed the seriousness of the matter, though he had the opposition benches laughing while he was reading out quotes from government house leader Steve Clark, upset about time allocation motions when he was in opposition. 'My party loves to hear from people,' Clark said in the waning days of the former Liberal government. 'If this government doesn't want to listen to people, I'll give them a guarantee. I'll give them, actually, the people's guarantee, because we will listen to them, and we will ensure that those Ontarians are being listened to.' Clark, who during that 2017 debate called such motions 'anti-democratic,' said last week that the younger Steve Clark was 'maybe more brash and abrupt,' defending the current moves. 'The government has decided that these four bills are very important for us,' he said. 'There needs to be certainty from the government's government decides that they're going to prioritize certain things, the government is going to move forward with those legislations. That's my message.' However much the former Liberal government shut down debate, the Progressive Conservative government is a worse offender, Vanthof said. 'Two time allocation votes in a day was probably the previous record for the travesty to democracy, probably the previous record, and that was held by the Liberals,' he said. 'But this government is so efficient, including destroying the democratic process, that they put four bills, including a budget, in one time allocation motion.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
CBC
35 minutes ago
- CBC
The rainbow flag is flying at Confederation Building as Pride Month begins
There was a rousing start to Pride Month celebrations in Newfoundland and Labrador. A ceremony at Confederation Building included the raising of the rainbow flag, and singer Karla Pilgrim brought a personal touch to the event.
CTV News
40 minutes ago
- CTV News
Union representing workers in 400 daycare centres votes 58 per cent in favour tentative agreement
Workers at Centres de la petite enfance (CPE), members of the CSN-affiliated Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux, protesting during a one-day walkout, January 23, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) Workers in 400 daycare centres (CPEs) voted 58 per cent in favour of the tentative agreement reached with Quebec for the renewal of their collective agreement. The workers are members of unions affiliated with the Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS), which is affiliated with the CSN. 'It's not the collective agreement of the century,' said Stéphanie Vachon, FSSS representative for the CPE sector, in an interview. She noted that there have been improvements in 'entry-level and exit-level salaries' in the profession, but the 17.4 per cent increase over five years for all workers remains the same as for government employees. 'The government had really laid its cards on the table' with its 17.4 per cent increase for the public sector, which it insisted on, Vachon recalls. 'Then there is also the notion of the other union federations that reached an agreement before us and established a kind of basic framework. So it was really the fact that this basic framework was not broken that created a lot of discontent and dissatisfaction among workers. That's what we see in the result' of 58 per cent support, Vachon said. She added that work in CPEs is not recognized for its true value. The FSSS is the last union representing workers in CPEs to conclude its negotiations with Quebec. The three others involved in these national negotiations reached agreements last year: the Fédération des intervenantes en petite enfance (FIPEQ), affiliated with the CSQ, the Syndicat québécois des employé(e)s de service (SQEES) and the Syndicat des métallos, both affiliated with the FTQ. In Quebec City, Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel welcomed the approval of this tentative agreement, which was reached on May 5. 'This step marks a breakthrough in the process of improving working conditions for educators and the quality of services offered to children and their families,' she said on X. FSSS union members had been on strike for 13 days since the end of January. Vachon said she believes it was worth striking for 13 days to achieve this result. 'Yes, absolutely. Between the start of the strike and the end, there was always something else that was holding things up,' she said. She also claims to have made gains on certain bonuses, particularly to recognize the value of experienced workers. These FSSS union members work in more than 400 CPEs. Quebec had 940 CPEs as of Dec. 31 last year, managing 1,772 facilities, according to the Ministry of Family Affairs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 2, 2025. By Lia Lévesque, The Canadian Press
