Canada Day

Canada Day is celebrated every year on July 1st, to mark the anniversary of the coming into effect of Confederation in 1867. Under that agreement, the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick joined to form the Dominion of Canada, under the tutelage of the United Kingdom. Originally known as Dominion Day, the holiday was renamed in 1982 in conjunction with the repatriation of Canada's constitution from the UK. It is a public holiday across Canada. Its name in French is la Fête du Canada.

The Toronto Blue Jays have a tradition of playing an afternoon home game on the day, and wearing special uniforms in the color of the Canadian flag for the occasion. This sometimes confuses visiting Americans who may not understand why there is a mid-week afternoon baseball game being played in front of typically huge crowds. In contrast, during their existence, the Montreal Expos rarely put out anything special for the holiday, preferring to mark June 24th - Saint-Jean Baptiste Day - which is the National Holiday of Quebec.

After interleague play started in 1997, the Blue Jays and Expos would typically play each other on Canada Day, although this was not always respected, and in 2004, the two Canadian teams met during a series of games played in San Juan, Puerto Rico, of all places. This brief tradition ended when the Expos were relocated to Washington, DC in 2005.

Much like Independence Day (July 4th) in the United States, Canada Day is marked by barbecues, public concerts, fireworks, and people wearing patriotic clothing (which often means wearing a Team Canada hockey jersey).