Delighted children watch a Canada Day parade in Cremona, Alta., on July 1, 2025. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh
Commentary
Every Canada Day, we pause to celebrate one of the most successful countries in human history. As someone who grew up in a military family in northern Quebec, served in uniform for more than four decades, built a Canadian business from the ground up, and has been privileged to support many community organizations across our country, I have seen Canada from many perspectives. Those experiences have only strengthened my belief that Canada remains one of the finest nations on earth.
Our country was built not by accident, but by generations of Canadians who embraced responsibility. They farmed difficult land, built railways across impossible distances, defended freedom overseas, welcomed newcomers from every continent, and created one of the most peaceful, prosperous, and generous societies the world has ever known.
Canada has never been perfect. No nation is. But it has always been a country worth believing in because each generation accepted the responsibility of leaving it stronger than they found it.
Over the past decade, many Canadians have become discouraged. Economic growth has slowed. Housing has become increasingly unaffordable. Productivity has stagnated. Confidence in many of our public institutions has weakened. Too many parents now wonder whether their children will enjoy the same opportunities they once took for granted.
Those concerns are real, and they deserve honest acknowledgement. Pretending otherwise serves no one. But Canada Day is not a day for despair. It is a reminder that this country has overcome far greater challenges than those we face today.
We should never confuse temporary setbacks with permanent decline. The last 10 years need not define the next 10. Nations, like people, experience difficult seasons. What matters most is the willingness to recognize mistakes, restore confidence, and move forward with purpose.
The path ahead is well within our reach. We can restore fiscal discipline, build homes faster, approve major nation-building projects, reward innovation, improve productivity, and once again make Canada a country where hard work, talent, and initiative are rewarded.
Above all, we can rediscover our common purpose. Throughout my life, whether serving alongside Canadians in uniform, building a business that created opportunities for thousands of people, or working with charities and community organizations, I have seen the very best of our country. Canadians remain practical, generous, and ambitious without arrogance and compassionate without abandoning common sense. Those qualities have not disappeared.
Patriotism is not blind optimism. It is the quiet confidence that our country is worth improving because it is worth loving. Canada has given each of us far more than we often acknowledge. On this Canada Day, let us renew our confidence, cherish what previous generations built, and commit ourselves to leaving an even stronger Canada for those who will follow.
Happy Canada Day.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
