July 1, 2025

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It’s so good to see you celebrating and enjoying the show!

What a good show!

Meeting Canadians this year, from coast to coast to coast, I saw many reasons to celebrate.

I saw resilience, compassion, and hope.

Your Royal Highness, your presence here today and the recent visit of Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla are clear demonstrations of your fondness for our country.

Today, I want to share with you what I like about Canada.

We share this vast land. And I love that in all of its enormous geography, it’s often the little things that transform lives, and communities.

The small steps you take each day count. And they add up.

What I have seen is people acting with kindness.

Teaching children, building bridges of understanding between people.

We are on a journey of reconciliation, making a path with compassion, courage and care.

It began by truly listening, by honouring the truths of the past and holding space for the pain and resilience carried by Indigenous peoples.

Kindness is the thread that weaves our communities together.

What you do at home, in your community, gives life to a bigger picture. It’s what builds this great country.

Often it takes Ajuinnata.

Ajuinnata is an Inuit word.

It means you have perseverance in the face of adversity.

It means never give up.

I remember that my grandmother, when visiting our friends, would say Ajuinnata.

Everyone, say it with me! Ajuinnata!

When we commemorate our soldiers, when we see our athletes compete, or students graduate—I see Ajuinnata.

It’s part of Canada’s story, and one of the reasons we’re all here today.

In Canada, we stand for respect. We stand for an equal and compassionate society, where everyone belongs.

We work together to improve, and protect this beautiful creation called Canada. And when we include everyone, humanity is better for it.

In a few minutes, 5 Canadians will be invested into the Order of Canada for their exceptional achievements.

Their actions, year after year, make Canada better.

To all people living across this great country:

Thank you for showing us all your deep, enduring love for Canada.

Happy Canada Day!