So whose life are we celebrating?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/05/2011 (5644 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Victoria Day long weekend, May long, May two-four or May run.

Call it what you will but across the country Canadians have spent the weekend — weather permitting — sitting around campfires and taking care of the obligatory cottage/yard/ garage maintenance on this, the first long weekend of the season.

However you spend it, most Canadians are just happy to have an extra day off work.

So why do most Canadians get to sleep in on Monday? It’s time to get acquainted with the lady who died 110 years ago and gave us one of the most excellent of Canadian traditions.

Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901 (a moderately happy and somewhat glorious 63 years and 216 days) predates Canada.

She ruled during the pivotal time when the country developed from a couple of warring provinces into an actual country that stretched from coast to coast to coast.

Mostly of German descent, Victoria’s father, Prince Edward, lived in Canada and was commander of British North American troops in the late 1790s.

Just three years after taking the throne, in 1840, Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and eventually, nine children followed.

Although the jury is out as to whether Canadians support the monarch, its influences are peppered throughout the Wheat City. South of Princess Avenue, for example, Louise Avenue was named after one of Victoria’s five daughters.

We have her husband and former governor general John Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne, to thank for giving Lorne Avenue its namesake.

Named after Victoria’s father, the Prince Edward Hotel, that stood proudly in downtown Brandon from 1912 until 1980, also had clear royal influences.

From Victoria Avenue, Victoria Day Care Centre, Victoria Life Line, Victoria Woods, Victoria Landing and Victoria Chiropractic Centre; considering how many businesses and organizations have used the name Victoria, it’s hard to deny our royal ties.

Canada has been marking Victoria’s birthday since 1845, when the first legislation declared May 24 as the official birthday of Queen Victoria.

Communities across the country celebrated in various ways, generally focused on all-things British, including patriotic speeches and songs, fireworks, maypole dances and community bonfires.

Following the death of the Queen in 1901, May 24 was decreed Empire Day and made a national holiday. The terms "Empire" and "Victoria" remained nominally interchangeable from then on. In 1952, the federal government declared Victoria Day would be celebrated on the fixed date of the first Monday on or before May 25.

It was during the years of Victoria’s reign that some key decisions were made about the opening and settlement of the West.

So each year, as you celebrate the unofficial start to summer, you can thank a German woman who married her first cousin and became the longest-serving British monarch during a highly pivotal time in Canadian history.

But, there has been talk of the holiday being out-of-touch with Canadians.

A 2009 Léger Marketing poll, for example, revealed 45 per cent of Canadians believe the monarchy is useless, while 44 per cent believe it’s a great tradition that should be maintained.

Meanwhile, a survey commissioned by Ancestry.ca reveals that 64 per cent of Canadians feel it is appropriate to celebrate Victoria Day.

Canadians were asked, assuming that there would still be a long weekend in May, if they believe it is appropriate for Canada to continue to celebrate Victoria Day. More than a third of Canadians — 36 per cent — are not supportive of the holiday. One in five say no outright, while 15 per cent are unsure.

Only 37 per cent of respondents in Quebec support the holiday. By comparison, Manitoba is the most supportive, with 76 per cent backing the holiday followed by Alberta with 70 per cent and British Columbia with 69 per cent.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, 61 per cent support the holiday, while in New Brunswick, 66 per cent believe we should continue to celebrate Victoria Day. Support in Ontario is slightly higher than the national average, with 68 per cent.

 

» Brandon Sun, with files from Winnipeg Free Press