INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDEN — Maple leafs, red and white clothes and celebrations blanketed Westman and the country on Tuesday to celebrate Canada’s birthday.
Western Manitobans celebrated the country’s 158th year of Confederation with fireworks, performances, parades and food in communities around the region.
“Canada’s a wonderful country. I love Canada,” said singer Lyle Baldwin after a performance in Boissevain.
Deloraine resident Myrna Teetaert smiles at the Canada Day celebration in Deloraine on Tuesday. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)
Baldwin, who lives in Killarney, played his guitar and fiddle on a stage feet away from the giant Tommy the Turtle statue. He said playing at events like Canada Day are among the best, because everyone is happy for the holiday.
“Canada Day is unity, and pride in your country.”
Another one of those celebrations was a citizenship ceremony at the International Peace Garden south of Boissevain, where 47 people gave an oath to become the newest members of the country.
Rows of black and white chairs on both sides of the Canada-United States border were set up for the new citizens from 15 different countries, along with their friends and family who made the trip to the garden.
While some citizenship ceremonies allow family to sit right alongside the new citizens, this ceremony was arranged so that new citizens were on the Canadian side, so they could cite the oath on Canadian soil.
New citizen Sarah Elkady said becoming a Canadian citizen has been something she has been looking forward to for a while.
Singer and guitarist Lyle Baldwin performs at the Canada Day ceremonies in Boissevain on Tuesday. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)
“It actually means a lot,” Elkady said while standing next to her husband and two kids moments after they became citizens.
“We have been dreaming for this moment for years,” she said. “We really appreciate this moment and we’re proud to be Canadian.”
She said coming to Canada from Egypt in January 2021 has opened a lot of doors for her and her children that wouldn’t have been there otherwise.
“It’s a strong country. I can do my dream job, I can become a dentist here,” Elkady said. “And I can raise my kids better and give them a better life here, in such a beautiful and respectful country.”
She is still in the process of starting to become a dentist, she said, but hopes it will come soon. She was a dentist back in Egypt.
Her husband, Mohamed Elshetehy, said there are so many things in Canada that help when it comes to his two kids, who are nine and 11 years old.
An Indigenous woman dressed in a flowing red cape performs a traditional dance during Canada Day celebrations at the Riverbank Discovery Centre in Brandon on Tuesday. (Weichen Zhang/The Brandon Sun)
“We are proud and grateful to raise our children here in Canada, and enjoy all the privileges here,” Elshetehy said. “It’s a free public education, free health care. We are very grateful for everything, to give them (their children) a good life.”
Another immigrant said he has been trying to be like Canadians ever since he moved here — because “you guys are so nice.”
“I remember my first couple days here, people are always trying to help us,” said Michael Uwa-Omoregha, who moved from Nigeria.
Uwa-Omoregha said since he moved with his parents and siblings in December 2021, there have been good and bad times, but he couldn’t be more happy now.
“It’s had it’s ups and downs, mostly ups,” he said. “I’m very happy about that.”
Being in Canada opens a lot more opportunity, he said, including in his career pursuits.
Emily (left) and Charlie Raes ride their bikes to the Canada Day festivities in Deloraine on Tuesday decked out in Canada-themed swag. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)
Uwa-Omoregha is currently a biology major, hoping to go to medical school.
He added that this day has been circled on his calendar since his family got the email about the ceremony.
Citizenship Judge Suzanne Carrière congratulated the new Canadians.
“Becoming Canadian is something very special,” Carrière said. “It really is an honour and a privilege to officially welcome you all into our Canadian family.”
Turtle Mountain MLA Doyle Piwniuk said with the country’s aging population, it’s important that skilled immigrants come to the country.
“We need skilled workers, we need people who see the opportunity in Canada,” Piwniuk said.
Citizenship Judge Suzanne Carrière speaks in front of a Canada flag to new Canadian citizens at the International Peace Garden south of Boissevain on Tuesday. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)
After the ceremony, Piwniuk told the Sun that this “is a win for Canada,” because of the growth it represents.
“Canada Day is important because the fact is — especially with everything going on economically, with trade wars and tariffs — it’s so important to show your pride as a Canadian.”
At the end of the ceremony, two of the new citizens also spoke to the crowd, sharing what it means for them to now be Canadian citizens.
“Thank you, Canada,” Ashish Virani said to start his speech.
“I started my journey during Corona (COVID-19) as a Subway boy,” he said, adding that he now owns a restaurant in Brandon.
Virani, who is originally from India, said Canada was the only country to give him an opportunity to become what he wanted to be at a rate that makes sense.
New Canadians pledge their oath to officially become citizens of Canada at the International Peace Garden on Tuesday. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)
“And Canada — the only country who can give me the opportunity to do a PhD easily. From Subway boy to owner (of Red Swan Pizza in Brandon), it takes only four years, and this is what can only happen in Canada.”
Carrière also encouraged the new Canadians to visit a Canada Day festival after the citizenship event ended.
One of those events in nearby Deloraine featured hotdogs for lunch as well as games like mini golf and bouncy castles, which were set up lining South Railway Avenue.
The event attracted hundreds of people, including 68-year-old resident Myrna Teetaert, who said she’s been coming to Canada Day festivals in Deloraine ever since she can remember.
She said it’s important to remember how we got here, and how the people who have protected us in the Armed Forces have allowed us to celebrate what we have.
“Canada Day is a way of showing that we are very fortunate to be a free country,” she said. “I love being a Canadian. I love travelling across Canada. It’s great to be Canadian.”
A dancer performs at the Fusion Credit Union Stage in Brandon during the Canada Day festivities on Tuesday. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)
She said the Deloraine festival is normally very busy, and that the “camaraderie is just fantastic here.”
It’s even more important to celebrate now, she said, with U.S. President Donald Trump having repeatedly said Canada should become that country’s 51st state.
“We need to celebrate to the best of our ability, to let people know that Canada is here to stay,” Teetaert said. “We’re not the 51st state.”
Brandon-Souris MP Grant Jackson was also at the Deloraine event — along with other planned stops in Elkhorn, Brandon and Virden during the day — and said being Canadian is great.
“This is a really great country — I’m so proud to be Canadian,” Jackson told the Sun at Central Park in Deloraine. “I’m glad we’ve got good weather for Canadians to come out and be proud and celebrate who we are.”
Events in Brandon also took place all day, with thousands of people packing the grounds of the Riverbank Discovery Centre, where food trucks, performances and scheduled fireworks were the highlight of Canada Day.
A Manitoba Parks float drives in the Boissevain parade as part of the town’s Canada Day festivities. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)
Performances at times focused on multiculturalism, and celebrating the diversity across the city and the nation.
» alambert@brandonsun.com