Dubai: As Canada marks its 150 anniversary on Saturday, some of Dubai’s thousands-strong community of Canadian expats have been celebrating in their own way.
In the early evening, hundreds of expats gathered at a Canadian restaurant on the top floor of five-star hotel.
For the occasion, the eatery was decorated with red-and-white maple leaf flags, while hits from Canadian superstars – Bryan Adams, Justin Bieber, and Celine Dion – blared through the speakers.
Canadian expatriates take part in the Celebration Day activities in Dubai yesterday to mark their country’s 150th anniversary as a modern, diverse democracy. Canadian expats across the UAE rang in their country’s sesquicentennial with a deep sense of national pride. As part of Canada 150 celebrations in Canada and the UAE, expats are paying homage to a variety of Canadian values ranging from environment and diversity and youth to inclusion. A.K. Kallouche/Gulf News
The special menu for the evening was Canadian too. Four different types of Poutine, the cheesy, gravy-covered fries were served, alongside hot dogs, and soft serve ice cream. Later on the evening, the crowd planned to stand and sing their national anthem.
But what does it truly mean to be Canadian? Gulf News asked some of the most patriotic-looking party-goers to find out.
“I’d say the thing that makes me the most Canadian is our acceptance to most every kind of person and idea and thoughts,” says Vincent Kondratski, who had donned a bright red hockey jersey for the occasion. He’s lived in the UAE since 1997.
“We’re a very open society and we like to represent and we like to do our country proud when we’re abroad, by being humble. I’d guess as Canadians, one of our strongest traits is our humility.”
Lovers, not fighters
When you’re Canadian, you easily the positive feelings that people from around the world feel about your culture, adds Matthew Addario, who manages the Weslodge Saloon where the party took place.
“Anywhere you go in the world you’re welcomed when you are Canadian,” he says. “I think tht’s because we welcome everyone into our country. Not one person is truly Canadian, we’re all from different parts of the world and we made Canada our home. “
“We take in any race, any gender, every type of person, from rich to poor, Canadians are peace-keepers and lovers, and not fighters.”
The UAE is home to around 40,000 Canadian expats – and more than half of them live in Dubai.
One newly-arrived expat said that seeing the presence of Tim Horton’s in the city was a “nice reminder of home.”
“We’re getting over the home sickness,” adds Kathy Riddle, who hails from Toronto. The single most Canadian attribute she has is being “overly polite,” she adds.
“For example, since we took [the metro] here, we waited for everyone else to leave the transit car before we even moved forward.”
What is Canada 150?
While Canadians celebrate their country’s anniversary every year with a national holiday on July 1, this year is extra-special. Why?
One and a half centuries ago, in 1867, three territories north of the United States joined together, forming a mostly self-governing dominion under the British fold.
Six decades later, in 1931, Canada became fully independent. Yet the country still shares symbolic and constitutions ties with the UK — and the same monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II.
