{"id":3846,"date":"1961-07-01T01:00:00","date_gmt":"1961-07-01T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\/"},"modified":"2022-11-28T01:43:35","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T01:43:35","slug":"july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary","status":"publish","type":"rbc_letter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\/","title":{"rendered":"July 1961 &#8211; VOL. 42, NO. 5 &#8211; Celebrating Canada&#8217;s Centenary"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"layout-column-main\">\n<p class=\"boldtext\">To people with imperceptive minds                     the emergence of Canada as a nation is remote and shadowy,                     but to those with a feeling for the force of history it is                     as close as yesterday.<\/p>\n<p> The hundredth anniversary of the confederation of the provinces                     is a mere six years ahead of us, and planning has already                     begun so that we may celebrate the event on a grand scale.                     We cannot be content to have only parades and pageants. These                     are part of our expression of pleasure, but some projects                     of lasting benefit should show to ourselves and the world                     that we plan for a great future, suitable to a great country.<\/p>\n<p>The year 1967 can be a wonderful year, like a break of open                     sky and sunshine in a cloudy world. We should look forward                     to it in the spirit expressed by Prince Philip in an address                     on a similar occasion: &#8220;There should be general public festivities,                     gaiety, and enjoyment, because there can never be enough excuses                     to put troubles aside and to refresh the mind with unrestrained                     joy; there should be a humble thanksgiving to the Almighty                     whose influence over the lives of the people has made possible                     their peaceful progress&nbsp;&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Our celebration of events of the past, expressed in the&nbsp;.joy                     of the present, will be broadened down to the future by our                     erection, between now and the end of 1967, of tangible evidences                     of our pride in our history and our faith in our future. This                     constructive activity will also exhibit us to the world as                     ongoing people, building upon a substantial base the appurtenances                     of a happy life.<\/p>\n<p>The celebration is not one to be arranged by the federal                     government alone, but for provinces, regions, municipalities                     and associations of citizens.<\/p>\n<h3>Have an objective<\/h3>\n<p>It will make the Centenary more interesting if we give a                     point to our plans. Our aim might be, for example, to expand                     our opportunities for advancement in education, health, science,                     the arts, and the exchange of ideas. We can, if we set our                     minds to it, uncover areas in our national life which have                     been neglected; we can find splendid ideas which have never                     progressed past the dreamed-about stage. If we make up                     sonic of our cultural deficits during the next six years,                     then we shall have that much more to celebrate in 1967.<\/p>\n<p>What are these cultural deficits? They are things which                     a country settled nearly 350 years ago and politically united                     nearly a hundred years ago should have by this time: organizations                     and the physical properties for the production of music, plays,                     ballet and &#8220;all expressions of our artistic nature; for the                     training and use of athletes; for the development of minds                     through lectures, study groups and exhibitions.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of bronze plaques and marble monuments, we might                     unveil significant community improvements, like new parks,                     new houses replacing slums, new city halls, new community                     buildings, libraries, museums. These are things we want anyway:                     preparation for our Centenary gives us the opportunity and                     incentive to get them now.<\/p>\n<p>During the year &#8211; and the Centenary should last a year,                     to give everyone a chance to share in it &#8211; we might have a                     television programme of stature every week depicting some                     event that was significant in our history. We could have special                     music, plays and books prepared for publication and production                     that year. Nathaniel A. Benson wrote a Victory Loan Pageant                     which was produced and acted by children in schools from coast                     to coast in 1941 and is still remembered for its stirring                   presentation of the past and present and future of Canada:<\/p>\n<table width=\"415\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/dotted_quote_line.gif\" width=\"415\" height=\"1\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<div class=\"quote\">&#8220;She whose centuries are storied, whose youngbanners far outborneAre the heralds of a splendour in the ages yetunborn.&#8221;<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/dotted_quote_line.gif\" width=\"415\" height=\"1\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Between now and the beginning of 1967 we might produce films                     and publish books for distribution abroad to induce people                     to visit Canada in our Centenary year. Conferences could be                     organized by business, labour, science, agriculture, education,                     government, history and professional groups and associations                     to be held at different times that year in widely separated                     centres from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and interested people                   from all the world invited to attend.<\/p>\n<p>It is not too early to start planning. We as individuals                     need to prepare for our participation and our enjoyment, but                     governments also must look to their bookkeeping. A national                     anniversary like Canada&#8217;s is too big for casual methods.<\/p>\n<h3>A party for everyone<\/h3>\n<p>This Centenary is for everyone. The celebrations will not                     be alike in all parts of the country, but all will be marking                     the same happy event.<\/p>\n<p>Everything should not be scheduled to happen on the First                     of July. Events should be spread out throughout the year to                     suit the weather, the regional interests, the special days,                     and the state of readiness of building projects in every section                     of the country. This will have the big added advantage of                     giving all of us the opportunity to share in more than one                     event, thus learning more about one another.<\/p>\n<p>There can be festivals of all kinds at all levels, with                     every community and organization featuring whatever is a natural                     reflection of its people. It is not enough to decorate the                     main street and public buildings; we need to use our imagination,                     our art and our energy to produce dramatizations of Canada&#8217;s                     past. We can open up and mark the old trails and canoe routes                     which were the first links in exploration and settlement of                     our country. We can arrange for groups of entertainers who                     have skills and crafts and arts typical of their own part                     of Canada to visit other parts. We can start now the sports                     events which will have their final tilts in 1967.<\/p>\n<p>How is all this to be arranged? Not by a dictatorial central                     organization, but by the grass roots participation of all                     our people in planning and carrying out. Once a broadly representative                     central organization has laid down general principles, then                     local groups should take over and plan their own celebrations                     in their own way.<\/p>\n<p>The central organization has been working on the plan since                     the Canadian Association for Adult Education and the Canadian                     Citizenship Council started the wheels turning in 1957. In                     May, 1960, the Canadian Centenary Council was organized as                     a national non-governmental body. Its purpose is to provide                     expression and involvement at a national level by voluntary                     non-governmental organizations in planning for the anniversary                     of Confederation in 1967.<\/p>\n<p>This purpose is to be attained by stimulating interest in                     appropriate observances and celebrations; by establishing                     principles and objectives and directing public attention to                     them; by encouraging and assisting in the initiation of certain                     projects which are designed to eradicate our social deficits;                     by acting as a national clearing house and information centre;                     by providing planning facilities and services. Mr. Alan Clarke,                     Executive-Director of the Canadian Citizenship Council,                     is Secretary of the Canadian Centenary Council. His address                     is Postal Box 2310, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario.<\/p>\n<h3>Why celebrate?<\/h3>\n<p>We have taken for granted that every Canadian will be eager                     to take part in the Centenary, but it will do us no harm to                     tot up a few of the good reasons for being joyful.<\/p>\n<p>We do not wish to approach the celebration bathed in the                     dewy evening light of retrospect, yet it would be wrong not                     to lay the lessons of yesterday before tomorrow. We can well                     look back and ask: &#8220;How does this affect our life today? What                     lessons have we learned for the future?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It would be fatal to our happiness in coming years if we                     were to allow this special occasion to call up ancient grudges                     and give the occasion for fighting over again the old battles                     of war and politics and regions and sections.<\/p>\n<p>We have inherited the fruits of the labour of forefathers                     we are proud to recall upon this occasion.<\/p>\n<p>The three centuries that elapsed between Cartier&#8217;s first                     voyage to Canada and the confederation of the provinces were                     marked by the hardship of pioneering in a country for which                     life in French and English villages had been a poor rehearsal.<\/p>\n<p>Besides the difficulties of climate and loneliness there                     were hostile clans, belligerent neighbours, natural barriers,                     and the uncertainty of life under rulers who were three thousand                     miles away across an ocean traversed slowly by sailing vessel,                     rulers who knew&#8221; little about conditions in their colonies.<\/p>\n<p>This backward glance should give us a hint about what we                     are planning to celebrate. It is not some philosophy of loyalty                     to an abstract and general thing we know and think of as &#8220;Canada&#8221;.                     That, indeed, would be a difficult enthusiasm to arouse in                     a land so big and with so many diversities of people, economies                     and environment. What we celebrate is the courage of men and                     women who settled here, the skill and pertinacity which kept                     them here to build what we inherit, the good sense which enabled                     them to live and work together, and the vision which prompted                     them to form this union we call &#8220;Confederation&#8221;.<\/p>\n<h3>Preserve our history<\/h3>\n<p>Every province and every locality has its own highlights                     which it will wish to memorialize, and its own ambitions to                     fulfil, but all these historical episodes and plans for the                     future are comprehended in the Centenary.<\/p>\n<p>An excellent chance is offered by the celebration to collect                     regional and local histories, a part of our culture which                     is much neglected. Starting now, historical societies can                     engage the interest of thousands of people in providing letters,                     diaries and records, early newspapers, archives of local governments,                     and material things like tools, utensils and implements used                     by former generations.<\/p>\n<p>Writing local histories might be made a project for the                     schools. When Saskatchewan held its Jubilee a few years ago                     the school children came up with some 3,000 local histories                     which have been microfilmed and filed in the Saskatchewan                     archives.<\/p>\n<p>This is a good time, too, to think about local historic                     sites. It is not enough to build a stone monument and affix                     an all-but-unreadable metal plaque saying &#8220;on this                     site&#8230; &#8220;. A score of tablets will not take the place of the                     birthplace of one of the world&#8217;s most eminent astronomers,                     now falling to pieces, or of the War of 1812 buildings and                     trenches if they are allowed to disintegrate.<\/p>\n<p>A revival of interest in historical sites is evidenced by                     the number of people who visit those which have been preserved                     or restored. In the United States, historical sites are running                     ahead of scenic areas in the percentage of increase in tourist                     visitation.<\/p>\n<h3>Our heritage<\/h3>\n<p>The proper place to start a birthday story is in the past.                     There is no need, on this occasion, to wrinkle our brows in                     attempting to disentangle the web of events, because all Canada&#8217;s                     history is woven into the fabric of the dress she wears today.<\/p>\n<p>It is said that the greatest benefit of inheritance is to                     succeed to an ancestor&#8217;s virtues. Together with practical                     qualities there has come down to us a love of right things                     and the desire to live life for all it is worth. That is our                     heritage.<\/p>\n<p>Canada has offered to many other nations one supremely valuable                     demonstration, that tolerance must be an intrinsic part of                     any real democracy. The development of two cultures, two attitudes,                     hallowed by a legal and constitutional system, is the reason                     why our ten provinces can celebrate the Centenary in fellowship.                     Quarrels refused to turn to hate, animosities broke down into                     friendship, seeds of dissension were sown in a soil that brought                     them up as flowers.<\/p>\n<p>Our heritage prompts us to continue building toward a nation                     in which all talents are generously recognized, all forgivable                     oddities forgiven, all viciousness quietly frustrated, all                     graciousness honoured.<\/p>\n<p>While we are built upon the bedrock of two cultures, our                     country includes large numbers of other racial groups. This                     cosmopolitan population requires that we treat the Centenary                     in such a way as to emphasize our common Canadianism.<\/p>\n<p>Querulous and impatient voices occasionally rise in demands                     for the conventional symbols of nationhood, but we can see                     all around us the more mature symbols of a people working                     together in unity but not uniformity.<\/p>\n<h3>Confederation<\/h3>\n<p>All of the good that is Canada today cannot be credited                     to passage of the British North America Act of 1867, but who                     can express the impact of that event upon what followed? Canada                     was an imposing ideal in the year of Confederation, but a                     very unimpressive reality. The provinces had no association                     with one another, and every province operated under a separate                     government with its own political structure. Today, separated                     by miles of mountain, forest, lakes and wide rivers, every                     region is making its special and necessary contribution to                     the Confederation.<\/p>\n<p>What brought this about? Chief among the political aims                     was to establish a new nation to meet the changed conditions                     of British policy and to unite the scattered provinces against                     possible aggression from the south. Economically, Confederation                     was designed to spread dependence over many industries instead                     of only a few, and thus lessen exposure to the effects of                     economic policies then being pursued by both Great Britain                     and the United States. Through mutual concession it was hoped                     to preserve cultural and local loyalties, and reconcile them                     with political strength and solidarity.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, enactment of the British North America Act establishing                     Confederation did not of itself assure solution of either                     political or economic difficulties. It did, however, provide                     a framework within which we are still working to bring about                     the balance of loyalties and interests, needs and supplies,                     which an effective federal system requires.<\/p>\n<p>Through the efforts of daring explorers, missionaries, and                     traders, this land, bigger in area than all Europe, was opened                     up. Today, we are part of a changing world pattern of innovation                     and obsolescence. We are firmly based amid new states which                     have inadequate economic resources, erratic frontiers, dissident                     minorities, and delusions of grandeur. Many political and                     intellectual things have shifted from their old moorings.<\/p>\n<h3>Our task today<\/h3>\n<p>The task facing Canada is to develop a set of values and                     a series of habits suited to seeing us through the new situations.                     Besides all the material things that will be erected to mark                     the Centenary, we need some spiritual things, like a rededication                     to the principles of the democratic way of life. By espousing                     democracy we have adopted a lifelong assignment in human relationships.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone can copy out a constitution and translate the democratic                     ideal into the machinery of self-government. It takes                     great insight by statesmen, and sympathetic understanding                     by every citizen, to devise a practical system of democratic                     government which will most surely suit the needs and character                     of the people.<\/p>\n<p>But Canada does not stand alone in the world. To be a patriotic                     Canadian does not mean that we hate every country but our                     own. If a man wishes his country to prosper, but never at                     the expense of other countries, he is at the same time an                     intelligent patriot and a citizen of the world.<\/p>\n<p>Our ideas of geography have changed. Our neighbours are                     no longer the people in the next county or province, but people                     in continents at the other side of the earth. Every day sees                     thousands of transactions pass through this bank&#8217;s International                     Division, evidence of business being done by Canadians in                     Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.<\/p>\n<p>We accept our responsibilities as a member of the British                     Commonwealth of Nations and of the United Nations. In Pakistan,                     a party of 150 Canadians helped other members of the Commonwealth                     to construct a dam, a power station and an irrigation system;                     we sent a contingent with the United Nations force striving                     to keep peace in the Congo.<\/p>\n<p>We do not, on the occasion of our Centenary, seek to impose                     our ideas or our way of life on others, but we do believe                     that in the course of our history we have discovered some                     great truths which can help all mankind.<\/p>\n<h3>Our future<\/h3>\n<p>Canadianism, which started before Confederation but was                     given definite direction by that union, is no mean instrument                     with which to face new conditions. J. B. Brebner said in his                     presidential address to the Canadian Historical Society twenty                     years ago: &#8220;Canadianism&#8230;is made up of over three centuries                     of successful struggle with a recalcitrant environment, of                     over a century&#8217;s original and successful political adaptation                     and inventiveness, and of a kind of conservatism which history                     has shown can be converted by adversity into stubborn, indomitable                     will.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Every one of us, from east to west and north to south, whatever                     his ethnic background, his creed, his colour, his economic                     stature &#8211; everyone has a vital interest in seeing Canada endure.                     Only by a union of its people can a country be prepared for                     the ambushes set by chance and change. The little states of                     Greece destroyed themselves by their egotism, their jealousies,                     and their struggle for rights one against the other.<\/p>\n<p>How shall we contribute, during Centenary year, to the unity                     we need? Well, we now have Citizenship Week, designed primarily                     for the benefit of New Canadians: why not make 1967 Citizenship                     Year for all Canadians?<\/p>\n<p>Citizenship needs a rededication periodically if it isn&#8217;t                     to lose its significance. We have not inherited citizenship                     as something to have and to hold without effort. Every generation                     has to earn its own citizenship and we need to remind ourselves                     periodically about its values and its obligations.<\/p>\n<p>Through a year of citizenship exercises we can confirm our                     status as a close fraternity of people who know what they                     want to do and are united in finding ways to do it. We can                     show ourselves as being constructively patriotic, trying to                     raise the standard of our society. We can display our freedom                     from those three great enemies of citizenship: indolence,                     self-interest, and blind adherence to factions. For citizenship                     is more than the right to vote: it is the art of living together.<\/p>\n<h3>Let&#8217;s do something notable<\/h3>\n<p>As inheritors of a great tradition, let us do something                     notable to mark the Centenary of Confederation. The project                     is thrilling. We are often called &#8220;sobersides&#8221; by our visitors:                     for this occasion, let&#8217;s really enjoy ourselves, not only                     in pageantry and festival but in construction and fulfilment.<\/p>\n<p>Disappointment is never so bitter &#8211; so &#8220;sour grapes&#8221; &#8211; as                     when one has had superior advantages and has neglected them                     or frittered them away or watered them down. Every Canadian                     should say: &#8220;This is Canada&#8217;s hundredth birthday celebration,                     and I am going to be an enthusiastic and useful part of it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As the procession of this century of years passes in review,                     each year decked with its crown of laurel leaves for achievement                     and its chaplet of rosemary for memories, we must remind ourselves                     that 1967 will take its place in the cavalcade. We must make                     it worthy of the company it keeps.<\/p>\n<p>Then, recalling Tennyson&#8217;s words, we shall enter the future                     knowing that&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Mind and soul, according well,<\/p>\n<p>May make one music as before,<\/p>\n<p>But vaster.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[1],"rbc_letter_theme":[],"rbc_letter_year":[41],"class_list":["post-3846","rbc_letter","type-rbc_letter","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized","rbc_letter_year-41"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>July 1961 - VOL. 42, NO. 5 - Celebrating Canada&#039;s Centenary - RBC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"July 1961 - VOL. 42, NO. 5 - Celebrating Canada&#039;s Centenary - RBC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To people with imperceptive minds the emergence of Canada as a nation is remote and shadowy, but to those with a feeling for the force of history it is as close as yesterday. The hundredth anniversary of the confederation of the provinces is a mere six years ahead of us, and planning has already begun [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RBC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-28T01:43:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/dotted_quote_line.gif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/about-us\\\/history\\\/letter\\\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/about-us\\\/history\\\/letter\\\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\\\/\",\"name\":\"July 1961 - VOL. 42, NO. 5 - Celebrating Canada's Centenary - RBC\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/about-us\\\/history\\\/letter\\\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/about-us\\\/history\\\/letter\\\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/dotted_quote_line.gif\",\"datePublished\":\"1961-07-01T01:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-28T01:43:35+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/about-us\\\/history\\\/letter\\\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/about-us\\\/history\\\/letter\\\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/dotted_quote_line.gif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/dotted_quote_line.gif\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"RBC\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"July 1961 - VOL. 42, NO. 5 - Celebrating Canada's Centenary - RBC","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/july-1961-vol-42-no-5-celebrating-canadas-centenary\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"July 1961 - VOL. 42, NO. 5 - Celebrating Canada's Centenary - RBC","og_description":"To people with imperceptive minds the emergence of Canada as a nation is remote and shadowy, but to those with a feeling for the force of history it is as close as yesterday. 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