Canada Day: July 1, 1996

Today is a day for all Canadians, from Victoria to St. John's, from the Great Lakes to Ellesmere Island. It is a day for celebrating our pride in our great country.

It is an exciting time for Canadians. In a few weeks, our best athletes will head to the Olympic Games, to represent our country. They are an outstanding example of the hard work, determination and team spirit that has helped to build this country.

In just a few days, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the swearing-in of Wilfrid Laurier as Prime Minister of Canada. He was a man who believed very deeply in Canada. In fact, he was a symbol of the optimism and enthusiasm of a young nation at the dawn of a new century. He predicted that the 20th century would belong to Canada -- and 100 years later we can see that he was right!

What other nation has accomplished what we have accomplished here during the last 100 years? What other country has greater prosperity or a better quality of life? What other country has been able to accommodate such rich diversity in a spirit of tolerance and generosity? What other country has such a strong commitment to peace, freedom, democracy, compassion, and justice? My friends, what we have done over the past 129 years is build the best country in the world!

It was not always easy. There were hard times. But we have survived and prospered -- together.

And what is most exciting is that the best is yet to come as we move into a new century. When I see a young generation of athletes and astronauts, I am absolutely convinced of that. Thanks to all the struggles and the hard work of our ancestors, Canada is very well-placed to rise to the challenges of the new millennium.

It is a world that Wilfrid Laurier could hardly imagine. Could he have dreamed of a day that a Canadian would speak to the nation from a space shuttle?! He would be amazed, but he would also know that he was right to have such faith, such optimism, such great hopes for his country.

You know, Canada is a little bit like the Parliament Buildings behind us. They were built carefully, skilfully, lovingly by those who came before us. So was Canada. But even the best building in the world needs hard work to keep it great. It needs refurbishing. It needs renovating. It needs constant restoration. For these great Parliament Buildings to stay great, we have to keep working on them. And it is the same with Canada -- we have to keep working on it -- every day, every year -- because we want Canada to remain great. We want the best country in the world to keep getting even better.

Together, step by step, we have built a country that is the envy of the world, a country in which we all feel great pride. And working together, we will move into the 21st century with confidence and hope, knowing that we continue to live in the best country in the world!

Vive le Canada! Bonne fête Canada!