Stop 9: Canada Day on the Hill
1 sound
Since 1917, the 50th anniversary of Confederation, Canada’s official national holiday has been celebrated on Parliament Hill accompanied by flag ceremonies, speeches, music, and fireworks. On Canada Day, this space is filled with celebration, music, and performances, but it also carries the weight of the histories we’ve explored today.
As we conclude our soundwalk, I encourage you to reflect on the sounds you’ve heard and the stories they carry. How do they shape our understanding of identity, power, resistance and national Canadian narratives? The sounds of celebration can often drown out the calls for justice that are equally important to understandings of Canada.
The familiar notes of O Canada that we just heard represent more than just a national anthem – they're part of a carefully orchestrated soundscape that has, for over a century, shaped our understanding of Canada. On Canada Day, Parliament Hill becomes a crescendo of celebratory sounds: Military bands playing patriotic marches Political speeches echoing across loudspeakers Crowds singing the national anthem Fireworks thundering overhead Yet beneath these dominant sounds lie other frequencies of our national story – frequencies that often struggle to be heard above the official narrative. As we conclude our guided soundwalk, we invite you to reflect on your listening experiences. Whose voices are amplified in official celebrations? Whose stories are muted by the sounds of national pageantry? How do the acoustic properties of this space – designed to project certain voices of authority – impact whose stories can be heard?
