The past half-decade has seen official commemorations of Canadian pride reduced to a dull glow — and the effect was always most visible on July 1. Finally, in 2024, it seems that pride is starting to rekindle.

The great dimming arguably began in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated public health restrictions gave way to smaller, more different celebrations and opened the door to festive downsizing in general. It was supposed to be temporary. Protests began to cast small shadows across the country too, demanding the cancellation of Canada Day from Vancouver to Saskatoon — an echo, somewhat, of that year’s George Floyd protests in the United States.