On Canada Day, Bruce Deachman roamed Ottawa to ask residents about their most Canadian possession, uncovering a range of items from a governor general's top hat to a loon call noisemaker.
A Governor General's Top Hat
Barry Padolsky, an Ottawa architect, owns a top hat once worn by former governor general Vincent Massey, complete with a handsome travel case. Padolsky inherited the hat from Massey's son, Hart, in 1997 after working for him in the 1960s. The gift stemmed from an inside joke: years earlier, a young researcher had phoned the Governor General's office to borrow a hat for an exhibit and was rebuffed. When Hart died, he left the hat with a note: “Now you can get your Governor General's hat.” Padolsky plans to donate it to the Canadian Museum of History.
Everyday Canadiana
In Parkwood Hills, Ryan Ait Mamar chose a noisemaker from a tourist shop that mimics a loon call when spun. “Probably the most Canadian bird we have,” he said. Near Crystal Beach, retired fire captain “Captain” Kirk Reid picked his fire helmet, featuring a small metal beaver fastening the front crest. The manufacturer chose the beaver as a Canadian symbol.
Teresa Barrosso's favourite possession is a burl-covered top from a 200-foot B.C. spruce, felled on her family's hobby farm in Hudson's Hope, northern B.C., where they rehabilitated injured wildlife. “I was, like, ‘This is coming with me!’” she said.
Deachman's Own Choices
Deachman considered a stuffed ptarmigan, a six-foot Peace Tower image from the Ottawa Citizen building, and a 35-inch Canadian Tire windshield scraper made in Canada with domestic and imported parts. He settled on the scraper as his most Canadian possession, essential for Canadian winters.
