By Tyler Marr

Hundreds descend on Kinsmen Park for Canada Day festivities

Jul 1, 2018 | 3:19 PM

Nidhi Nidhi sat joyfully under a tent in Kinsmen Park surrounded by a sea of small paper Canadian flags and dye, ready to decorate onlookers with elegant Henna tattoos.

Born in India, Nidhi recently immigrated to the country and was celebrating her first Canada Day.

“Everything is so special,” she said when asked the significance of the day. “I love Canada. There is lots of natural beauty here. The people and their culture, I love it.”

Nidhi was one of hundreds who poured into the park, turning it into a sea of red and white Sunday afternoon to celebrate Canada Day alongside citizens across the nation.

Despite early morning rain, the weather mostly cooperated in the afternoon for residents to display proud patriotism in the city. Patrons milled about, absorbing the bounty of festivities on display. Dozens came armed with lawn chairs to take in the live entertainment that echoed throughout the park from the Kinette Amphitheatre. Many gravitated to the array of food vendors who peddled a diverse range of eats. Others sought shelter from the periodic spurts of rain among the trees for a secluded picnic or family gathering.

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Ed and Geraldine Laird occupied a bench near the stage. The two Legion members, who helped spearhead initial Canada Day celebration in Prince Albert in 1966, are proud to see how the country and city has grown over the past 50 years.

“I heard a new immigrant say this one,” Ed explained. “He said, ‘Canadians are colour blind. It makes no difference your [skin colour], we are all Canadian and we are all welcome. You can see that here when you look over the crowd. It is wonderful to see everyone celebrating.”

Geraldine was simple when asked what Canada meant to her: “I am living in the best country in the world.”

For Prince Albert MP Randy Hoback, the highlight of celebrating the day in his home riding was mingling with constituents and hearing their stories. 

“Where they came from and have immigrated here and how wonderful and excited they are now to be part of Canada,” he said. “But also talking to some of the seniors who have been here for years and how proud they are about what our country has become. Here we are, a free country and … one of the best in the world.”

Despite the trade tiff with the U.S. moving to the forefront today as Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs on American goods kicked in at midnight, Hoback, calling the whole scenario “ridiculous”, said today was a day Canadians needed to “sit back and put their feet up and celebrate who they are.”

“Let’s celebrate Canada today, and tomorrow, we can move on and talk about the tariffs,” he said.

In his Canada Day message, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is on the road highlighting the stand he has taken against the U.S. government’s tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum products, thanked Canadians for always standing up for one another and for Canadian values.

“This is who we are, we’re there for each other in times of difficulty, in times of opportunity. We lean on each other and we stand strong and that’s what we do from coast to coast to coast,” Trudeau said, speaking from Leamington, Ont., Sunday morning.

He was in the Ontario town, one of three stops Sunday, meeting with workers at a major canning and food processing operation where the tomato paste used in French’s ketchup is made. Later today, he will visit a major steel refinery in Regina — two industries at the centre of the trade dispute. 

The country’s counter-tariffs amount to an imposing $16.6 billion on a long list of consumer products from a wide range of sectors.

— With files from the Canadian Press

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr