ORANGEISM - The Canadian Scene A Brief Historical
Sketch
By Dominic Di Stasi
Grand Master and Sovereign Grand Orange
Lodge of Canada
July 1995
The 200th anniversary of the Battle
of the Diamond which resulted in the formation of the Orange Order is
being commemorated in every Orange jurisdiction this year including Canada. It
is fitting, therefore, that a brief historical sketch of the formation
and contribution of the Orange Association to the development of Canada may be
of interest to our many brothers and sisters everywhere.
ORANGE
ASSOCIATION FORMED
The Loyal Orange Association has played and
continues to play a great part in the history of Canada. It is not known when
or where the first Orange meetings were held and there are no available
records that confirm when the first Orangeman arrived in Canada. There
is, however, evidence of Orange activity in the very early1800s. The
majority Protestant population at that time was in UpperCanada
(approximately 36,000) many of whom were Orangemen, with or without
certificates or warrants.The Orange Association was officially formed in
Canada in the year 1830 in Brockville, Ontario, mainly through the efforts of
Ogle R.Gowan who came to Canada from Wexford, Ireland in 1829.
Upon his arrival in Brockville, he immediately took note of the large number
of Irish immigrants who lived there and he quickly became aware of the great
advance that Orangeism had made in the community and he set out to extend
it.
On
Gowan's initiative, a general meeting of all Orangemen was called at
Brockville on New Year's Day 1830. The result was the forming of the Grand
Orange Lodge of British America and Gowan was chosen to be the first
Grand Master. With the organization of the Grand Lodge, the
Canadian Orange men created a central body which placed the Order under
a uniform system of controlling membership, dues, rituals, signs,
passwords and the election of officers.The first Orange warrant was issued to
Brockville LOL No. 1 which is still in existence
today.
MILITARY LODGES
But Orangemen were in
Canada long before the first Orange lodge was formed. The first Orangemen in
Canada were military soldiers. Orangeism was introduced in Saint John,
New Brunswick, by the medium of military lodges. Most of the
British warships and regiments carried with them Orange warrants during
the period of 1818 - 1824.
Verner Lodge was the first Orange Lodge instituted in Eastern Canada
in1831 and it still exists to the present day. The first Orange Lodge in
Toronto was Nassau Lodge which was also instituted in 1831. Military
Lodges existed in York, Kingston, Montreal and Quebec City. Gowan
himself, was a Lieutenant-Colonel and he commanded the Queen's Royal
Borderers. He was wounded at the Battle of Windmill, near
Prescott, Ontario, in 1838 while Canadians were defending themselves from an
attack from the United States.
BATTLES AND
REBELLIONS
There is evidence to indicate that Orangemen were
with General James Wolfe at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759.
Orangemen fought with General Isaac Brock at the Battle of Queenston Heights
in the American War of 1812-14. Orangemen fought with the Queen's Own
Rifles and helped to hold back the Fenians at Ridgeway, Ontario, in
1866. An obelisk there marks the spot where Orangemen died in
defending their country against the Fenian invaders.
The Grand Orange Lodge of Canada had to postpone its meeting that year because over one thousand Orangemen were at the front. Orangemen played a big part in suppressing the Upper Canada rebellionof William Lyon Mackenzie in 1837. Though the rebellion was but a skirmish and short-lived, nevertheless, 317 Orangemen were sworn in by the Mayor of Toronto and then resisted Mackenzie's march down Yonge Street in 1837. Orangemen were in western Canada during the rebellions of Louis Riel in 1870 and 1885.
Riel
had an Ontario Orangeman, Thomas Scott, shot because he insisted that Riel had
no right to set up a provincial government. Riel was later found guilty
of treason and was ordered to be executed by the Macdonald
government.
WORLD WARS
Since confederation in
1867, Orangemen have defended Canada in the Boer War in South Africa at
the turn of the century and in two world wars. In World War I, some
55,000 Orangemen enlisted in the armed services and some 8,000 laid down their
lives on the battlefield. Similarly, in 1939, when democracy and freedom
were again threatened, Canadian Orangemen enlisted, fought and died for King
and country and as a result many of our lodges were depleted in
membership and many had to close. It was Sir Sam Hughes, an
Orangeman, who directed Canada's war effort in World War
I.
PARADES
The Orange Association has exited in
Canada officially for 165 years. No other fraternal or patriotic society has
such a long history in Canada. The first Twelfth of July Orange Parade was
held in the city of Toronto in 1822 and has continued
uninterrupted ever since. In the 1920s and 1930s when the Orange
Association was at its peak, Toronto was known as 'the Belfast of
Canada' and parades in the city were known to take some four hours to
pass a given point. Parades were held in every provincial jurisdiction in
Canada.
STATESMAN
No club, organization or
group has produced more leaders in Canada at the federal, provincial and
municipal level of government than has the Orange Association. Orangemen in
Canada make no apologies for supporting such a boastful statement.
From the local school trustee to the highest position of prime minister,
Canadian Orangemen have given leadership and distinguished service in every
sphere of Canadian society.
Three of our members have been prime ministers of Canada, namely Sir John A. Macdonald, the father of Confederation, Sir Mackenzie Bowell, a Past Grand Master and John Diefenbaker. Premier Joseph Smallwood who brought Newfoundland into Canadian Confederation in 1949 was also an Orangeman.
It was an Orangeman, Alexander Muir, who wrote Canada's first national song - The Maple Leaf Forever. The maple tree that inspired him to write the song in 1867 still stands in the city of Toronto and has been suitably marked by a plague erected by the Grand Orange Lodge of Canada.
ORANGEISM SPREADS
The 1860s saw some great
changes as Orangeism spread across Canada from the Atlantic to the
Pacific. Lodges were formed later in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward
Island, Newfoundland, Manitoba and British Columbia and the membership
continued to increase in large numbers. In 1860 the Grand Orange Lodge was
restructured to include Provincial Grand Lodges because of the great number of
lodges that were being instituted during that period. It has been said,
but never confirmed, that when Canadian Confederation came, Sir John A.
Macdonald was influenced by the new structure of the Orange Association when
the Canadian provinces were formed in 1867.
IMMIGRATION AND THE ORANGE FAMILY
Since the end
of World War II, the membership of the Orange Association has steadily
declined to this day, but it still remains a viable Association in
Canada with lodges still operating from Newfoundland to British
Columbia. Immediately following World War II, immigrants from the
British Isles and Europe were the largest sources of immigration to
Canada. Because they were familiar with the Canadian form of
government and the English language, the Orange Association was able to
recruit members from this immigration. In recent years, immigration from
these sources has been decreasing and the door has now been opened to
Asians, Africans and people from the Caribbean Islands.
Asia now accounts for 54% of the immigrants who come to Canada. The unfortunate part is that these recent immigrants have no idea about how Canada is governed nor of its British traditions and therefore they are not attracted to membership of our Order. It must be noted, however, that the large number of immigrants from Korea are of the Protestant faith.
The Orange family in Canada includes: The Loyal Orange Association, the Ladies Orange Benevolent Association, the Loyal Orange Young Britons Association, Junior Orange Association, the Royal Black Institution and the Grand Crystal Chapter.
The
official publication of the Loyal Orange Association in Canada, The
Sentinel, was started in 1875 and while the style and form of the
publication has changed, it still continues to be published in magazine form
and it is published in bi-monthly during the year. The magazine contains
lodge news from coast to coast, religious articles, and it is a source of
information on legislative matters and its impact on the civil and religious
liberties of Canadians.
BENEVOLENT PROJECTS
In
1881, the Loyal Orange Association in Canada introduced an insurance
programme generally known today as "Orange Insurance". This programme provides
protection for its members at the time of death and has proved
beneficial over the last century in alleviating the financial burden that
often occurs at this time.
The insurance plans that are offered to the membership have been keptup-to-date and is today a very sound and progressive Fraternal Insurance Company providing protection and savings for its members, spouses and dependent children. The Orange Association in Canada operates many benevolent projects,some of which are: Children's Homes, Senior Citizens' Homes, Research Institute and Clinic, Disabled Persons' Hostel, Children's Foundations, Disaster Fund, plus many other renowned worthy causes.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars are raised every year for benevolent purposes in the many communities all across Canada. These include Cancer Research, Heart Foundation, Muscular Distrophy and Crippled Children, etc. Some of the aims and objectives of the Loyal Orange Association in Canada for the future are as follows:
1. The promotion and extension of the Protestant concept of the Christian religion.
2. Provide social activities which will enrich the lives of its members and to participate in benevolent activities which will enrich our communities and our country.
3. A United Canada with a strong central government where all provinces and territories are equal with no special status for any group or individual.
4 . The continuance of our Constitutional Monarchical System of government as a stabilizing force in Canada and Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state.
5. The English language as the glue which will hold together all cultural and ethnic groups so that we can better communicate with each other.
6. A non-sectarian public school system where children of all races,creeds and colours can learn and grow together.
7. A return to Christian principles and values upon which Canada was founded.
The widespread breakdown of moral values, especially in high
places, is one of the great tragedies of the Canadian Nation. The Loyal
Orange Association in Canada joins with all other Orange jurisdictions
in commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of the Diamond and
the founding of the Orange Order in 1795. As we celebrate this historic
occasion may we ever be reminded of the deeds and acrifices of our forefathers
who preserved for us our Protestant faith. May God's
blessings be with us on this day and in the days that are yet to
come.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Dominic Di Stasi was
born and raised in the City of Toronto in Canada and was educated in the
public school system. His father came to Canada from Italy in 1907
and after a five year stay returned to Italy to bring back his
family.
While in Toronto he attended the 'Casa Metodista', a settlement house operated by the Methodist Church. In1910 he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour and became a Protestant and later an Orangeman when Garibaldi Lodge was instituted. After graduating from high school, Dominic was employed in the Graphic Arts industry and later enrolled in the College of Education where he received his Secondary School Teachers' Certificate. He was on the staff of the Toronto Board of Education for 26 years as a teacher and guidance councillor.
During World War II he served in the Canadian Armed Forces for nearly five years. He is married and has two sons and five grandchildren. He is a life long member and an active layman of St. Paul-Pietro ValdoItalian United Church. He served as secretary of the Board for 28 years and was actively involved in the Sunday School and Young People's work in his youth.
He is a Past Worthy President of the Junior Orange Association, a Past Master of Giuseppe Garibaldi Orange Lodge, a Past Provincial Grand Master of Ontario West. He is presently serving his second term as the Grand Master & Sovereign of the Grand Orange Lodge of Canada
