 Happy Canada! We're Canadian. We're not going to let a little weather slow us down, are we? You know, I'm pretty confident that we're breaking records here on Parliament Hill. And we should be, because today we're celebrating Canada 150! I'd like to acknowledge that we are on the ancestral lands of the Algonquin people. And I want to thank, I want to start with a thank you to the hundreds of thousands here on the hill coming together in our nation's capital. Thank you for being here. And to the millions more in your homes across the country, maybe watching through the screen door while trying not to burn the hot dog buns on the BBQ. Remember, lightly toasted. Or chilling with friends and neighbors in the local park, festooned in red and white. Thank you for celebrating with us today. To our expat friends and family gathered in far off places like the Maple Leaf Pub in London, or the Big Bite in Hong Kong. Thanks for joining us. We love you and miss you right back. And I have no idea what time it is where you are, but cheers. So, of course, I'd like to thank the Royal Highnesses, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall for being with us today to mark this tremendous celebration. Merci mes amis. 150 years since Confederation. A nice round number that's as good a reason to celebrate as any. To throw a massive party and invite the friends and neighbors. To reflect on our past, to cheer on today and to recommit ourselves to the future. But let's not kid ourselves. Today isn't really our 150th birthday. We're much older than that. Canada and the idea of Canada goes much further back than just 150 years. For thousands of years in this place, people have met, traded, built, loved, lost, fought and grieved. They built strong communities. They worked hard to build better lives for their kids and learned to lean on their neighbors. You learn to lean on your neighbors in this place to get through the long, cold winter nights to thrive in the daunting landscapes that stretch across Turtle Island. And for several centuries already, families have gone through great things. They're looking for a better future for their kids. And they've chosen to build their lives here. And again, the support of the neighbors and those already here have made it possible, both for individual and strong communities to succeed. So, certainly, Canada is much older than its 150th birthday, but let's be honest, Canada is younger too. Several of you will say that our country is only 100 years old. Exactly. When Canadians came from four corners of the country, they united for the first time. When they fought side by side, when they cried and lost time together and celebrated. Victory together in a distant place called Vimy. Well done! We did our best today to resonate with Dieppe, Junot, Kandahar and Jampas. But we took our place on the world stage too through constructive engagement from this crisis in the Suez to the floor of the UN by welcoming the world to come see who we are as we figured out for ourselves with Expos 67 and 86. With Olympic Games in Montreal, in Calgary, in Vancouver. But if we're going to talk sports, maybe we became a nation with the Summit Series in 72 when we all squeezed the stick and we all pulled the trigger. Or was it in 65 when we chose our beloved Maple Leaf flag? Maybe it didn't really happen us becoming a nation until we brought home the Constitution and defined ourselves through the Charter of Rights and Freedoms a mere 35 years ago. So really, I guess 150 years is as good a date as any because it lets us celebrate all of that and so much more today. In 1867, we saw the Canadian Confederation becoming a reality thanks to the compromise and, among other things, the vision of Johnny McDonald and George Etienne Cartier. It was a partnership between four provinces that became something much bigger, an extraordinary, prosperous and generous country, a land where everything is possible. Canada has been blessed with leaders of all stripes who recognized how special this place is. Leaders who believed in the Canadian dream, who built railways and highways and seaways to connect us to each other and to the world. These projects became the backbone of Canada, infrastructure worthy of a great nation. But the story of Canada cannot be confined to grand acts of nation building. The story of Canada is really the story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The valor of Francis Pegamogabo, the courage of Viola Desmond, the leadership of Thérèse Casgrin, the tenacity of Terry Fox. It's in these people that the true story of Canada is told. Their triumphs are unique, but the values that underpin them are Canadian values. William Lyon McKenzie King said that citizenship was actually a form of public service. He was right. Having Canadian citizenship also means serving Canada. It means believing in something bigger than each of us. Because we have something to be recognized in this country that has given us. Millions of people from all over the world have chosen to live in Canada. Others were lucky to be born here. But our stories are similar. This is where we met our childhood friends. This is where we fell in love for the first time. This is where we raised our children. My friends, we are joined by the most beautiful gift we have ever received. Canadian citizenship! Louis Saint Laurent referred to Canada as a place where people joined their talents without merging their identities. And it's true. Canada is a country made strong, not in spite of our differences, but because of them. We don't aspire to be a melting pot. Indeed, we know true strength and resilience flows through Canadian diversity. It's a land of original peoples and of newcomers. Our greatest pride is that you can come here from anywhere in the world, build a good life and be part of our community. We don't care where you're from or what religion you practice or whom you love, you are all welcome in Canada. Let's not forget that if today, Canada is a truly multicultural and open place in the world, it's not the result of a miracle. 150 years ago, the existence of our country even depended on our ability to accept that citizens of the same country could speak different languages, that they could be part of different cultures. It depended on the peaceful and active coexistence between different people, each one of the others. Over time, the bilingual character of our country has become a central and definitive element of our identity and official policy. From one end to the other of the country, we speak French and English, in addition to hundreds of other languages. And so, diversity has always been at the very core of Canada over the centuries. It's the foundation upon which our country was built. We may be of every colour and creed from every corner of the world. We may live in British Columbia, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland and Labrador. But we embrace that diversity while knowing in our hearts that we are all Canadians and that we share a common pride in that red and white flag. But when we come back to our history, we realize that our past is far from being perfect. If many of us celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada, it is not the case for everyone. During the centuries, Indigenous peoples were victims of oppression. From the moment the first explorers congratulated themselves on discovering a new world. And as a society, we must recognize the mistakes of the past, accept our responsibilities and ensure that each Canadian is a promising future. We have a lot of work ahead of us to reconcile with the First Nations, the Métis Nation, the Inuits. But we have taken this step together. As a country, we have taken the commitment to make relations nation by nation, government by government, from Inuit to the Crown, a priority of the highest importance. This is what we have to remember. We can achieve reconciliation, but in order to get there we must educate ourselves and dedicate our efforts to progress and work very, very hard to see it through over the coming years and decades. It is a choice we make, not because of what we did or what we were, but because of who we are. Let us be known the world over for our integrity, for our compassion and for our never-ending desire to be better so we can do better. The Canadian way. Whether it was building a railway through the Rockies or a quantum computer, Canadians know that better is always possible. Canada's success is not the fruit of randomness, and it will not continue without effort. Our work is now to ensure that each Canadian is a real and equal chance to succeed. We must create an environment in which the middle class and those who work hard will be able to make a better life. And we have to work together to combat climate change, one of the greatest crises facing our planet. It's up to us to leave our kids and grandkids with a better future through a present in which protecting our environment is an obligation, not an option. And we can do it. I know we can. My friends, many of you have come here from great distances. So take a second. Look around and really take in this moment. You are all a part of history. 150 years? Nah, look at us. Canada is being born today. And thanks to all of you, it will be again tomorrow. You know, when we set out in the world, many of us do so with a maple leaf sewn on to our backpacks. But all of us have that maple leaf engraved onto our souls. It's a subtle, quiet pride in knowing that we are blessed to be citizens of the best country on Earth. So be proud of our accomplishments. Be proud of our country for this is Canada and this is home.