Although I have read Wikipedia's article on Expo Montreal 1967, I haven't been able to figure out why Expo 1967 still continues to strike an emotional chord in Canadians some 45 years after the event. Can anybody explain why ?
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7For on thing 1967 was anniversary of the Canadian Confederation which occurred in 1867. Dominion (Canada) Day holiday was fairly low-key for much of early Canadian history. Only in the latter half of the 20th Century did it begin to become a fairly mainstream observance. The lavish celebrations of Canada's centennial on July 1, 1967 were a major turning-point in this regard.– Ken GrahamDec 29, 2016 at 15:28
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Being from Montreal but born in the seventies, I have not visited Expo 67, but I’ve heard a lot about it. Yes, my parents and their peers have always talked about this event with great pleasure and it does strike an emotional chord in them.
I would say there are three main reasons for this.
- The first one being the fact that it was a huge success, very much acclaimed. Maybe the sixties mindset helped in that matter but every critic had a good word for it.
- The second one lies in the fact that Montreal and Canada as well was little known to the world, constantly in the shadow of the USA in North America. The success of Expo 67 changed that.
- The third reason is somewhat related to the second one. The political climate in Quebec in the sixties happened to be turbulent with the rise of Quebec’s nationalism and the Quiet Revolution going on, French Canadians felt the were claiming their existence not only to English Canada, but to the world.
All this put together and you are starting to have a good explanation as why Expo 67 is still seen as a major event in the lives of the people who lived it.
This page has a really good analysis of the impact of Expo 67 : https://jsherlo3.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/understanding-the-meaning-and-impact-of-expo-67-a-lesson-in-context/
Wikipedia’s page about the Quiet Revolution : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiet_Revolution
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1If I may add my own reactions to Expo 67. I was 21, and Expo 67 showed me the world. We Québécois had little contact with nations outside France, Great Britain and the United States. And all of a sudden, we were given a view of Czechoslovakia (a communist country - we had learned to loathe the communists) and its beautiful glass creations , Mexico and its musicians, Thailand, Australia, Austria, the USSR (another communist country). We felt that the whole wide world had come to visit us and was inviting us to return the visit. This feeling was shared by children, young adults, and older folks.– MasBDec 21, 2017 at 0:58