Speech by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien On Canada Day

Welcome to Parliament Hill for the biggest lawn party of the year.

You know, Canada Day is a very special day for us every year. It is the one day of the year we let our patriotism show. All the flags. The marching bands. The fireworks. It is our big day to celebrate.

For the rest of the year, we are more quiet about our patriotism. More modest. More reserved. More low key. More Canadian.

But don't let that fool you. We might not make a big deal about it... but we know who we are. We know that Canada is the best country in the world. We know that we have built a that is the envy of the world.

We know how much we have in Canada. The opportunity. The spirit of generosity and sharing. The optimism. The freedom. The sense of community. The tolerance and understanding. We know how important these are to us. And we know that we would not trade them for anything in the world.

Canadians don't want to give up any of these values that have made us the envy of the world. And while we may not wave the flag every day of the year, all of us, in every corner of Canada, feel a deep, deep pride in what we have built.

You know, we feel proud when we see our flag flying. Because it is the symbol of all our values and all our accomplishments. And nothing makes us prouder then seeing it fly around the world. And this year - the thirtieth anniversary of our flag - there were many opportunities for pride.

We felt proud when we saw the Canadian flag in Bosnia on the uniforms of our brave peacekeepers. In that sad part of the world, the flag is a symbol of hope, peace and humanity for a suffering people.

We felt proud when we saw thousands and thousands of Canadian flags flying in Holland to mark the fiftieth anniversary of their liberation by Canadians. For them our flag was a symbol of gratitude and thanks to the Canadians who sacrificed so much to end the Nazi occupation of Holland and return freedom to that land.

And we felt proud when we saw our flag being flown from the boats of fishermen in Great Britain. Our flag became a symbol for all those who wanted to stand up and fight against the environmental disaster of overfishing.

That is what Canadian patriotism is all about. Pride in what we have accomplished. Pride in the values that join us together. Pride in our place in the world.

So let's celebrate this Canada Day with lots of noise and cheer. With fireworks and fanfare. And tomorrow, we'll go back to our usual quiet, modest Canadian ways.

And remember, for most of the year, we might act like Clark Kent ... but we know we have a

super country!

Happy Canada Day everyone! Vive le Canada!