“Today we celebrate Canada. It’s about celebrating our people, our values,” said Kirsten Hillman, Canadian Ambassador to the United States.
Canada Day celebrations at the embassy were intended to recreate a block party north of the international border with food, friends and family. Canadian music played while children played pockets and laughed.
Children’s songs echoed in the interior courtyard while the Montreal Children’s Choir performed “O Canada” in English and French.
Ms. Hillman thanked the Americans for participating in the celebrations. She said the relationship between Canada and the United States is the envy of the world.
“We are friends. We are partners. We are allies,” she said. “That’s something we shouldn’t take for granted.”
It’s a message the ambassador is delivering to Democrats and Republicans across the country as the US elections approach in November, as the presidential race continues.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden are pushing protectionist policies that could impact Canadian trade. Whoever wins will also be in power when the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement is revised in 2026.
It is particularly clear at the moment that not all countries in the world have relations as profitable as that between Canada and the United States, recalled Ms. Hillman. The North American neighbors share history, geography and the longest land border in the world, she added.
“We are essential to everyone’s success: economic success, security, resilience,” the ambassador continued.
Ms. Hillman urged Canadians and Americans to take a moment this week as Canada Day and Independence Day are celebrated to appreciate this relationship and ensure it continues to grow stronger.
