I love you, Canada!

The following is the prepared text for a Canada Day address by the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, delivered at today's Canada Day celebration in Ottawa.

Her Excellency is shown in a SooToday.com file photo with Sault MP Tony Martin.

************************* OTTAWA, ON -(July 1, 2007) - I am delighted to once again be standing before you as we celebrate Canada Day.

But why do we come together every year on this day? What are we really celebrating on July 1st?

First, we are celebrating the bonds of solidarity and friendship that helped create this country.

Those bonds are embedded in our hearts.

Because here in Canada, we help people when they are suffering.

In Canada, our differences enrich us as a people.

In Canada, what is good for one person is good for everyone.

And these bonds of solidarity and friendship grow stronger every day because we live in an ideal of justice and freedom that is the envy of the entire world.

I was born in a country that was under a merciless dictatorship, so like many Canadians who have come here from abroad, I know how precious that freedom really is.

We cannot overstate how lucky we are to be able to think, speak, choose, act, and live in complete freedom; not when barbarism and misery affect so many countries and people around the world.

On this July 1st, let us reflect on the message of hope that we, as Canadians, bring to the world.

Let us also remember the commitment of our soldiers and the difficult missions they are leading in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Let us remember their families and loved ones.

I would like to tell you about a strong conviction that I developed at a very young age, when my family and I had to start our lives all over again, away from the terror.

I have based my very existence on this conviction.

It guides all my decisions, all my choices, and I would like to share it with you for the remainder of my mandate as governor general of Canada.

I am one of those people who believe that anything is possible in this world.

And here in Canada, we have the greatest opportunities to reach our full potential and achieve our loftiest dreams.

This year we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Order of Canada.

The women and men who have received our country's highest honour were never hesitant to test the limits, both their own and those of the world around them.

They achieved remarkable things because they believed in their ability to reinvent life, help society move forward, and change the course of history. They represent the very best of us.

I would like to take the opportunity, on this Canada Day, to issue a challenge to all the young people here and everywhere across the country.

You have the ability to look at the world with fresh eyes.

Do not set yourselves any limits.

Dream big.

Be daring.

Act.

On this July 1st, let us celebrate all these dreams, all these everyday actions, all these projects and all these achievements.

Let us strengthen the bonds of solidarity that make Canada the generous country we love.

I love you! Happy birthday, Canada!

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