As I'm sure you're well aware (thanks to social media), this weekend is close to being the most historically significant weekend in recent history. And I feel, as a Canadian, the three events had the greatest overall affect on Canada. Let me explain...
1.
The Royal Wedding
As part of the British Commonwealth and a former British colony, Canada has many ties to the Crown. Elizabeth II is still our Queen, although we do have a government that has more say on policy (see #3). As a Canadian, I did wake up at 5:45am EST to watch the wedding on Friday, April 29th, since the couple could very well be our next King and Queen. And thanks to social media (once again), I'd feel like I was missing something if I didn't watch. I was the only one in my immediate family to watch (my mum shouted down to me a couple times asking if they'd kissed yet), but a few members of my extended family did.
2.
Osama bin Laden's Death
I remember exactly where I was on September 11th. I remember being brought to the history classroom (very suiting, eh?) to watch the news. I remember being terrified that due to Canada's close proximity to the United States, and especially New York City, that we could also be targeted. I also remember former US President Bush announcing the War on Terrorism, and once again my fear of the impact on Canada. As I devoted cross-boarder shopper, I also remember the inconvenience of added boarder security. But I will always remember where I was May 1st, 2011 when I read (on Facebook of all places) the news that bin Laden had been killed. I consider it a significant event when my sleep schedule is affected. As with the Royal Wedding, I gave up sleep to watch the news and wait for Obama's speech. It's amazing how one event can just about cement someone's re-election.
3.
The Canadian Federal Election
This is what Canada looked like, circa 2005 (Dark blue: Conservative, Red: Liberal, Orange: NDP, Light Blue: Bloc Quebecois)
Politics fascinates me. And I was absolutely incredulous when I saw the political map of Canada at 10:30pm on Monday, May 2nd. For the first time in history, the NDP (New Democratic Party) led by Jack Layton, became the Party of the Opposition. The Conservatives were re-elected, and Stephen Harper got his majority leadership. The Liberals, on the other hand, were left in the dust. Both Michael Ignatieff of the Liberal party and Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Quebecois stepped down from their roles as party leaders after they both lost their own riding, along with a lot of seats. Good news: Elizabeth May of the Green Party won her first seat ever in British Columbia.
This is what Canada looks like now:
Do you now understand how shocked I am? This is crazy!
Overall, it's pretty clear that this past weekend was one epic weekend for Canada, and the world. We made the history textbooks, everyone!
