A Conservative MP is calling on Parliament to officially recognize April 19 as National Butter Tart Day to honour home bakers and celebrate Canadian culinary history. Blacklock's Reporter says the date marks the death of Mary MacLeod, an Ontario homemaker credited with publishing the first known butter tart recipe in 1900.“Establishing a National Butter Tart Day would honour Canadian culinary history, support our domestic bakers, egg farmers and dairy industry, and promote national pride,” reads Petition E-7213, sponsored by Adam Chambers of Simcoe North, Ont. Canadians are encouraged to “celebrate this iconic dessert.”Petitioners described the butter tart as “a quintessentially Canadian confection and a significant part of Canada’s culinary and cultural heritage.” The County of Simcoe Archives confirmed that MacLeod published her recipe in the Royal Victoria Cookbook in Barrie, Ont., in 1900. MacLeod, a Toronto homemaker, died April 19, 1915..John Meissner of Grimsby, Ont., author of the petition and a butter tart festival judge, said the initiative aims to “celebrate Canada’s uniqueness” and regional culinary traditions. “I take pride in the preservation of our Canadian culture,” he said.The petition is the first food-focused submission to the Commons since 2023, when then-Independent MP Kevin Vuong of Spadina–Fort York sponsored a petition proposing that poutine be proclaimed Canada’s national food. Petitioners at the time argued poutine “can serve as a vehicle to bridge differences between us and unite Canadians in conversation over a dish we can generally agree is delicious.”Canada has no official national dish. Federal reports from the Department of Industry and Culinary Tourism note the country has struggled to establish a recognized culinary identity, despite efforts dating back to 1946. Past campaigns have highlighted everything from potatoes to pineapple-filled apple salads as purportedly Canadian foods.
