‘Cancel Canada Day’ Is Trending On Twitter & There Are Protests Planned For July 1

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Following the discovery of unmarked mass graves on the grounds of former residential schools in B.C. and Saskatchewan, there are renewed calls to cancel the Canada Day holiday on July 1.

The hashtag #CancelCanadaDay has been trending on Twitter in recent weeks, with many people calling for celebrations on July 1 to be cancelled in favour of a day of reflection.

Those in favour of cancelling Canada day celebrations argue that the day should be used to reflect on the injustices inflicted on Indigenous peoples, including the lives lost at residential schools.

The calls for traditional festivities to be scrapped have been renewed following the discovery of the remains of hundreds of children at former residential schools in Kamloops, B.C., and at the former Marieval Indian Residential School, two hours east of Regina.

Outside of social media, Indigenous rights group Idle No More are planning protests in Vancouver and Ontario on July 1. A message on the organization's website reads, "We will not celebrate stolen Indigenous land and stolen Indigenous lives."

It adds, "Instead we will gather to honour all of the lives lost to the Canadian State – Indigenous lives, Black Lives, Migrant lives, Women and Trans and 2Spirit lives – all of the relatives that we have lost."

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