Photo credit: Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia
Dressed in their iconic red serge, over 100 Mounties posed shoulder-to-shoulder on North Vancouver’s Capilano Suspension Bridge - one of Canada’s top picturesque tourist attractions. The event, which took place Thursday June 8, 2017, was organized by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to help celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. The officers, volunteering on their own time, came from the various detachments located across the Lower Mainland.
The 150th birthday of our country is certainly cause for celebration, so Happy Canada Day everyone! The four themes of Canada 150 celebrations focus on diversity and inclusion; reconciliation from nation to nation with Indigenous people, youth and the environment.
Another way to celebrate is to take some time to reflect on our individual and collective contributions to making Canada one of the best places in the world to live and to share stories of our service with others. As federal retirees, we have much to be thankful for and much to be proud of.
Whether we served in the public service--or the civil service as it was once called-- the Canadian Armed Forces or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, we were all drawn to the powerful idea of placing service to others before self.
“It is no accident that Canada is consistently ranked among the best places in the World in which to live, and we can rightly claim our share of the credit as Canada celebrates 150 years of Confederation,” said Jean-Guy Soulière, President of the National Association of Federal Retirees. “We were fortunate to be able to make a difference in our careers and to give back to our fellow citizens, but we also earned those opportunities and delivered meaningful programs and services on which all Canadians depend.”