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Warren Horne, left, and Heather Miller were visiting Vancouver for the World Cup from New Zealand and were meant to take the VIA rail train across the country before it broke down, the two then got a flight to Ottawa which coincidentally put them in the nations capital for Canada Day.Keito Newman/The Globe and Mail
Canadians are gathering across the country on Wednesday to celebrate a country grappling with a changing world and emerging separatist movements.
“It’s the best country in the world, not without nuance or complexity,” Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller told The Canadian Press.
“We’re a country that’s built on freedom, respect for others, but a shared sense of values that are enshrined in a lot of things.”
Miller is expected to address the crowd at the national celebration in Ottawa, where celebrities and dignitaries will take the stage to mark 159 years of Confederation.
Celebrations large and small are set to take place across the country. Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to attend a local community celebration in Ottawa in the morning, before participating in the annual noon hour Canada Day show.
The main Ottawa event is again being held at LeBreton Flats Park, just west of Parliament Hill, while Centre Block remains under construction.
He will travel to Alberta later in the day where he will make a short speech at a local celebration in Edmonton.
This year’s festivities come as separatist tensions in Quebec and Alberta are on the rise. Albertans will vote this fall on whether to remain in Canada, or hold a binding referendum on separation.
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In a video published Wednesday morning, Carney called for unity.
In it, he said Canada was founded on the “great conviction that we are strongest when we’re united.”
He spoke about the construction of the national railway and the Trans-Canada Highway, connecting the country.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney with his wife Diana Fox Carney and FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani in the stands before the World Cup match on Sunday between Canada and South Africa.Lee Smith/Reuters
“At this decisive moment, Canadians are once again turning our conviction into action, choosing to build big with Canadian workers, Canadian materials, Canadian values,” he said in the video.
He said people from around the country have chosen small acts of solidarity, like buying local and travelling within Canada.
“There will always be forces that want to divide us, but they forget a founding insight of our country – that unity is not uniformity, that our differences are strengths to be nurtured, not risks to be managed,” he said.
Carney added that Canada is a land of kind, compassionate and hard-working people.
Today is Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour’s first Canada Day as the King’s representative. Arbour will also deliver remarks at the noon show in Ottawa.
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She said in her own video message Wednesday that she was always very proud to identify herself as Canadian as her career took her around the world.
Arbour said Canada is a country that “shines in many spheres” but is realistic about the challenges ahead.
“We are a country always striving to do better,” she said.
“Our work towards reconciliation and amplifying Indigenous voices is a good example of this, and one that has not gone unnoticed on the global stage.”
Arbour said Canadians inspire in her a sense of pride, ambition and confidence.
“Let’s celebrate together what unites us, not in spite of our differences, but through them,” she said.
Last year’s celebrations touched heavily on U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated talk of annexing Canada. Miller said that was one of the moments that brought Canadians together over the past year, along with more joyful times such as Canada’s winning goal in last Sunday’s World Cup match.
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“We’re a beautiful project in the making,” he said, adding that the U.S. is “sabre-rattling and behaving in a way that we don’t recognize what was our best friend.”
He said the holiday is a chance to reflect on the freedoms people often take for granted, and the contributions of “two founding peoples and the Indigenous peoples that were here before us.”
It’s also a time to have fun, he said.
“Canada Day is a chance to go out and eat some hot dogs, drink beer, listen to some tunes and just relax,” Miller added.