It's the 200th Anniversary of Simon Fraser's reaching the mouth of the Fraser River.

200 years ago, there where no white settlers in Vancouver's Lower Mainland.  Captain Cook met Chief Maquinna at Nootka in 1778.  And in 1792, Captain Vancouver met the Spanish Commissioner Quadra in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  Alexander Mackenzie was the first to travel overland across Canada, reaching the mouth of the Mackenzie River in 1793, missing meeting Captain Vancouver by six weeks according to local Bella Bella First Nations people.

It wasn't until 1808, that Simon Fraser undertook an exploration for the North West Company to explore the area south of Mackenzie's journeys.  Fraser had been an apprentice at age sixteen with the North West Company then later became a clerk for the company at Athabasca.

“Simon Fraser was born to Loyalist parents who fled to Canada after the American Revolution.” is what I routinely told tourists at Simon Fraser University, where I worked as a tour guide in the early 1990's.  It was at SFU, where I first wore a kilt when tour guides were asked to help out with the annual Robbie Burns Day ceremonies at SFU.  It's a strange tradition, because it's all adopted because of Fraser's parent's Scottish heritage.  Simon Fraser the explorer never ever set foot in Scotland.  But the university, which began in 1967, adopted the Fraser clan shield and even it's motto “Je suis pret” which is French for “I am ready.”  Supposedly, the Frasers came to Scotland originally from France, with the name “Frasier” which means “strawberry.”  This would explain why there are strawberries on both the Fraser Clan and SFU shields.

The Ancient Fraser Hunting tartan, or Fraser of Lovat tartan was the first kilt I ever wore.

We have adopted the modern Fraser hunting tartan for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team, and we will celebrate tonight for Kilts Night, at Doolin's Irish Pub in downtown Vancouver.  Wear a kilt on the 1st Thursday of each month, and receive a pint of Guinness beer.

We will raise a toast to Simon Fraser, the explorer, tonight!

Vancouver Sun's Stephen Hum has written some very informative articles about Fraser's voyage.

Joy Kogawa, Michael Ondaatje are considered part of a new Canadian literary canon

Reading the Globe  Mail on Canada Day morning should be a tradition.  

Except for all the other FREE Canada Day activities and events that are happening out there, and you have to get out early to beat the crowds or to find parking.

Canadians are proud of their authors, it helps us define who we are, as well as our history and our psyche.  It also adds “Canadian content” to our newspapers and media stories.

The Globe and Mail's John Adams explains that “Thirty years ago dozens of scholars, critics, authors and publishing
types gathered for four days in Calgary for what was billed as the
National Conference on the Canadian Novel…. We enlisted a panel of five – three women, two men, from across the
country, all well-read in Canadian literature and deeply knowledgeable
of its history. Each was asked to come up with his or her own Top 10
annotated list of Canadian English-language fiction titles.”

Upon reading the list of authors and titles, the first thing that struck me was the inclusion of authors of ethnic diversity.  30 years ago we didn't really have authors of colour considered as important for Canadian fiction.  Joy Kogawa's Obasan came out in 1981, and really lead the way for the acceptance of Asian-Canadian literature.  Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion, came out in 1987.  I was surprised by the inclusion of SKY Lee's Disappearing Moon Cafe (1990), because Wayson Choy's The Jade Peony (1995) is usually cited and lauded but it was missing on these lists.  But for me, I couldn't put Disappearing Moon Cafe down, once I had started.  It took me several starts to get into The Jade Peony, and it wasn't until I was on the Vancouver Public Library's inaugural One Book One Vancouver committee that had chosen The Jade Peony as it's inaugural choice, that I actually finished reading it.

Check out the list:

Taking a shot at a new canon http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080701.wcanonadams01/BNStory/Entertainment/home

Of particular interest

The Disappearing Moon Café (1990)

Sky Lee

This novel about four generations of a Chinese family in Vancouver is an amazing evocation of Sophocles-like angst and sturm und drang.

Obasan (1981) is selected twice

Joy Kogawa

This novel broaches the difficult topic of the internment of
Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. My students were
profoundly moved by the way the lyrical prose personalized the
political agenda.

Anne of Green Gables (1908) is selected 3 times

Lucy Maud Montgomery

By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept (1945) is selected 3 times

Elizabeth Smart

The Stone Angel (1964) is selected 3 times

Margaret Laurence

Lives of Girls and Women: A Novel (1971) is selected 3 times

Alice Munro

Readers have long argued whether this is a novel or a collection of
short stories. Whatever it is, it's an uncanny portrait of the artist
as a young Souwesto girl.

Beautiful Losers (1966) is selected twice

Leonard Cohen

Margaret Atwood is named twice but for different books

Michael Ondaatje is named twice for different books.

Canada Day is winding down.  I saw simultaneously watched fireworks at Vancouver's Coal Harbour, and West Vancouver's Ambleside Park.  Okay… it's tough to do while driving South across Lion's Gate Bridge, and alternating looking left to Coal Harbour, and right to Ambleside.

There were a few people standing on the bridge on either side watching the fireworks.  Lucky people.  Not so lucky were the crowds of people walking North on Denman St. towards Coal Harbour.  I guess they had been sitting at English Bay waiting for fireworks there, before realizing that fireworks were over at Coal Harbour.  Same for the hordes of people I saw walking away from Vanier Park and Kitsilano Beach, as I drove West on Cornwall Ave.

Still, it was a nice close to a busy Canada Day that had started in Kitsilano with Canada Day Eve.  My friends Leanne, Judy and myself had watched the twilight settle over English Bay.  Canada Day morning, Judy was off to Canada Place to help staff a display booth for the Chinese Canadian Military Museum with Lt. Col. Howe Lee. 

I attended the 3rd annual Head Tax Protest Walk organized by the Head Tax Families Society, as well as the traditional Canada Day celebrations at Chinese Cultural Centre courtyard, organized by the Chinese Benevolent Association.  I had previously planned to also visit Canada Place and the North Vancouver Canada Day celebrations at Waterfront Park, but had to pass because I had to attend a wedding reception for my friends Gloria and Mark in the afternoon.

Leanne, was able to visit Canada Place, and made it back to Chinese Cultural Centre to see the Lion Dance in the courtyard join us all for lunch at New Town bakery, after the Head Tax Protest march through Chinatown…. 

More later….