Rain pelts Parliament Hill for Canada 150 bash

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OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Red and white rain slickers, ponchos and umbrellas are the fashion accessories of choice today on Parliament Hill as determined revellers mark Canada’s 150th birthday.

Persistent rain has been pelting the parliamentary district as the keenest of celebrants gather at the foot of the massive main stage.

But the steady downpour and rain-soaked grounds weren’t discouraging scores of people from queuing up for blocks on Wellington Street in order to get through a steely security gauntlet.

The official celebrations got underway with the singing of the national anthem by singer Marie-Josee Lord. She sang as tens of thousands of people flooded the rain-soaked grounds.

Heritage Minister Melanie Joly was the first to speak, reminding the crowds in attendance that Canada cannot forget about its past mistreatment of indigenous Canadians.

Indigenous activists listened to her words from a nearby teepee set up on the Parliament Hill west lawn. The teepee, which was a source of some tension earlier in the week, has turned into an exhibit of sorts as visitors stop by to express their support or chat with the so-called “reoccupiers” of unceded Algonquin territory.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s speech wasn’t without a slip-up. As he recited the names of the provinces, he forgot Alberta. Co-host comedian Sandra Oh made light of the omission.

Trudeau made a point of jumping on the front of the stage and calling out quote “I love you, Alberta,” and blew a kiss.

“As we mark Canada 150, we also recognize that for many, today is not an occasion for celebration; Indigenous Peoples in this country have faced oppression for centuries,” Justin Trudeau said in the prime minister’s traditional Canada Day statement, issued early Saturday.

“As a society, we must acknowledge and apologize for past wrongs, and chart a path forward for the next 150 years — one in which we continue to build our nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown and government-to-government relationship with the First Nations, Inuit and Metis Nation.”

The Canada Day agenda in the national capital included a visit from Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Trudeau and the prince sat down for a meeting this morning at Rideau Hall, where the two commiserated briefly about the conditions outside.

“We’re Canadians,” Trudeau was heard to say over the din of camera shutters. “We can handle a little weather.”

U2 singer Bono was among the hundreds of thousands of people who celebrated, telling the crowd that when others build walls, Canadians open doors.

Even US President Donald Trump got in on the action, tweeting his congratulations on the occasion of Canada’s birthday.

Canada 150 celebrations have taken place across the country throughout the day — even off the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador.

A boatload of 75 early risers headed out on the North Atlantic to be among the first to welcome Canada Day as dawn broke over the country’s most eastern point. They cheered and danced to music onboard the Iceberg Quest vessel as they celebrated the occasion.

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