It's the birthday of our great country. The 152nd birthday to be precise. A day to celebrate and be proud. If you've done any travelling in this wonderous world, you'll recall how, no matter where you went, Canada is met with a positive response and acknowledgement. Whether you're living in this country as your country of birth or an expatriate from abroad, or a refugee seeking safety and acceptance, calling Canada home is a privilege.

As a kid growing up, being Canadian was being a part of a nation that welcomed all people, from all ethnicities, cultures and corners of the earth. That was really what the country was, the sum of all its people. Each Canada Day the country takes this day to ceremonially welcome all men, women and children in a rite of passage. We celebrate those who wish to become Canadian citizens.

Growing up I earned my education in this country's universities, worked and cared for my family in the safety of its cities and placed my trust in the health care of the national system. My part was to put in an honest and hard days work. To contribute to my community and care for my neighbour. Every year that I grow older, I am more and more conscientious of what it means to be aging in the world, to have a good quality of life and how lucky I am that I live in Canada.

We respect and feel a sense of pride to be such a multicultural, educated and progressed country. To have stood up for fair laws, equality and each other. To have civility and freedom. A voice in the way we choose to live and to freely express it, because those who came before us fought for it. In being Canadian, we're lucky and we know it. We're kind and courteous, without a second thought. When you are a part of a great land, you make sure your dues are paid. That's the pleasure and the privilege of being a Canadian. Happy Canada Day!