OTTAWA—In an exuberant party atmosphere, Parliament Hill was awash in red and white on Tuesday as tens of thousands came to celebrate Canada's 141st birthday under sunny blue skies.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General Michaëlle Jean addressed at noon the estimated 75,000 people who gathered on the hill.
Jean, her husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and daughter Marie-Éden had arrived earlier by a state carriage escorted by a procession of Mounties.
Jean spoke of being deeply moved by Canada's diversity and uniqueness.
"Extraordinary in its plurality, in its diversity of languages, cultures, and the ways we inhabit, describe, see, and shape the world around us; extraordinary in the ability of its citizens to care for one another and to share."
"Happy Birthday, Canada, I love you," said Jean to the cheering crowd.
Harper noted Canada's richness in opportunity and diversity, encompassing French and English, Aboriginal and multicultural, native-born and newcomers.
"Fellow Canadians, every day in countless ways, we are working together to achieve the greatness our country deserves. That's why on this Canada Day, we are prouder than ever to call ourselves Canadian," he said. "I wish you all a happy Canada Day."
Thirteen-year-old Rémi Petitpas of Haute-Aboujagane, N.B., was congratulated by the Prime Minister and Governor General as national winner of the 2008 Canada Day Poster Challenge.
Nearly 13,000 young people aged five to 18, from across the country, submitted posters that interpreted the theme "My Canada Today!"
Petitpas' poster used a GPS screen as a backdrop "in keeping with today's technology." Depicting a map of Canada, the poster pays tribute to Canadian excellence in art, culture, music, and sport as well as this year's 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City.
Nearby Major's Hill Park was host to a showcase of Canadian cultural heritage.
The Ottawa-based Asinabika Women's Drum Circle was among the groups that provided Aboriginal cultural interpretation. The group entertained the crowds with a series of songs celebrating nature, culture, community, and friendship.
This is the fourth year the circle has performed on Canada Day, said Heather Wiggs. She explained that Asinabika is an Algonquin word meaning stone and water places.
"Our circle is open to all women. It's an all nations circle. We have First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and non-native women. We do that to promote harmony and understanding among the cultures."
The park also featured the four municipalities designated by the Department of Canadian Heritage this year as Cultural Capitals of Canada.
Sackville, New Brunswick; Morden, Manitoba; Surrey, B.C.; and Nanaimo, B.C. were recognized for their "excellence and support for special activities that celebrate the arts and culture and integrate them into overall community planning."
Painter Choleena DiTullio and author and artist Peter Manchester were on hand to represent Sackville. Manchester creates masks, musical instruments, and other artwork from recycled hockey equipment, "things that other people think might be trash or they see no use for."
"There's possibilities in almost very bit of recycled material. Your art can have an artistic meaning and an environmental meaning," he said. His book 50 Things to Make with a Broken Hockey Stick was a bestseller when it was published in 2002.
Aboriginal wood carver Phil Ashbee along with coal miner storyteller John Hofman and his wife visual artist Gerda hosted an exhibit from Nanaimo.
Hofman told of how Nanaimo started out as a coal mining community. Until unions came into being in the 1930s, "the working conditions were very unsafe" and "what they did to the people was atrocious," he said.
The miners included many workers from other countries, such as China, Yugoslavia, Sweden, and Germany. The new Nanaimo Museum, opening next month, will include a large mining exhibit, Hofman said.
Sculptor Jake Goertzen and quilter Katie Friesen from Morden showed their art. The town also is home to the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, Canada's largest collection of marine reptile fossils, which had a display at the park.
Surrey was represented by potter Murray Sanders, artist Deborah Putman, and Glocal, a digital artwork project that offers free downloadable software tools for making your own images using webcams, digital cameras, and video devices.
 The Royal Canadian Mount Police (RCMP) in scarlet red uniforms and majestic horses performing their Musical Ride on Canada Day. (Mike Chen/The Epoch Times)
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 The award-winning Tian Guo Marching Band performing on Canada Day near Parliament Hill in Ottawa. All members practise Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that consists of a set of meditative exercises and the moral principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." (Mike Chen/The Epoch Times)
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 Peter Manchester, an artist and illustrator from Sakville, New Brunswick, holding a guitar that he made. He has written two books on making things from broken hockey sticks and discarded hockey equipment. (Mike Chen/The Epoch Times)
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 A boy well dressed for Canada Day at the Great Canadian Chicken BBQ at Major's Hill Park in Ottawa. Fifty cents from every chicken purchase went to the Ottawa Food Bank. (Mike Chen/The Epoch Times)
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