It's not unusual to spot Canadian flags or to hear the strains of "O Canada!" on July 1 on Gozo, a tiny Maltese island in the Mediterranean south of Sicily. Canada Day, for the 80 member families of the Gozo branch of the Maltese Canadian Association, is a chance to celebrate their "second homeland." Most are returned emigrants from Canada.
The group was formed in 1996 after Alfred Camilleri, a Gozo native who spent 30 years working for Canada Post in Toronto, moved back to the island and threw a Canada Day poolside party that attracted nearly 100 people. Since then, the association has organized July 1 festivities and other events to maintain its Canadian ties.
Camilleri is one of about 140,000 people — almost half of Malta's population — who left their devastated country in the decades following the Second World War. As the European nation's economy recovered in the late 1970s, many returned. Observing Canada's national holiday, says Camilleri, "is a way to say thanks to the country that welcomed us with open arms and gave us a chance for a better life. Personally, I also learned a lot. Canada taught me how to respect and accept other people's beliefs and cultures."
