‘Strive to be worthy of our past’: Reflections on Canada from our prime ministers

One people; one in necessity, one in business, one in trade, one in prosperity, and one in our prospects of the future.

— Hon. John A. Macdonald, Legislative Assembly, Quebec City, April 19, 1860

For 20 long years I have been dragging myself through the dreary waste of colonial politics. I thought there was no end, nothing worthy of ambition; but now I see something which is well worthy of all I have suffered in the cause of my little coun­try. This question has now assumed a position that demands and commands the attention of all the colonies of British America. There may be obstructions, local difficulties may arise, disputes may occur, local jealousies may intervene, but it matters not — the wheel is now revolving, and we are only the fly on the wheel, we cannot delay it — the union of the colonies of British America, under one sovereign, is a fixed fact.

— Hon. John A. Macdonald, Toast to Colonial Union, Halifax, Sept. 12, 1864

If we do not take advantage of the time, if we show ourselves unequal to the occasion, it may never return, and we shall hereafter bitterly and unavailingly regret having failed to embrace the happy opportunity now offered of founding a great nation.

— Hon. John A. Macdonald, Confederation Debates, Quebec City, Feb. 6, 1865

We undertook that stupendous work, the Canadian Pacific Railway. Undeterred by the pessimistic views of our opponents … we pushed forward that great enter­prise through the wilds north of Lake Superior, across the western prairies, over the Rocky Mountains to the shores of the Pacific, with such inflexible resolution, that, in seven years after the assumption of office by the present Administration, the dream of our public men was an accomplished fact, and I myself experienced the proud satisfaction of looking back from the steps of my car upon the Rocky Mountains fringing the eastern sky.

— Sir John A. Macdonald, final national election manifesto, Feb. 7, 1891

We Canadians love Canada, our native land, or our land of adoption, and we are proud of her. We love her not only because it is the land of our home … We love her for her majestic rivers, we love her for her lakes, equal to the seas, we love her for her boundless prairies, for her virgin forests, for her lofty mountains, for her fertile plains.

— Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Dominion Day banquet, London, England, July 1, 1897

To those, sir, who have life before them, let my prayer be this: Remember from this day forth never to look simply at the horizon, as it may be limited by the limits of the province, but look abroad all over the continent, wherever the (Canadian) flag floats, and let your motto be Canada first, Canada last, Canada always.

— Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Massey Hall, Toronto, Oct. 14, 1904

First and foremost, we must strive to be worthy of our past. And to be worthy of our past we must come to have a more intimate knowledge of its history. In the annals of the world there is no more illuminating and inspiring history than the history of Canada. Take whichever phase you will, the economic, the political, the constitutional, where will you find within so small a compass so complete an evolution, and so many factors of world significance?

— Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, Dominion Day speech, Diamond Jubilee of Confederation, Parliament Hill, July 1, 1927

In many hundreds of plots throughout these hills and valleys, all the way from Flanders to Picardy, lie fifty thousand of our dead … Above them are being planted the maples of Canada, in the thought that her sons will rest the better in shade of trees they knew so well in life. Across the leagues of the Atlantic the heartstrings of our Canadian nation will reach through all time to these graves in France; we shall never let pass away the spirit bequeathed to us by those who fell; “their name liveth for evermore.”

— Prime Minister Arthur Meighen, Thelus Military Cemetery, Vimy Ridge, France, July 3, 1921

But to me the two days’ visit to the cemeteries was much more moving (than the official ceremonies dedicating the Vimy Ridge memorial). It brought back so vividly my visits to the hospitals and the long agony of the war. As I walked through the silent ranks of the dead, in the simplicity, beauty and quietude of each cemetery, there seemed to be a brooding peace. And I felt that God was there.

— Sir Robert Borden in a private letter to his wife, Laura, after visiting Vimy Ridge, Aug. 1, 1936

Sir John A. Macdonald saw a Canada from east to west: he opened the west. I see a new Canada — a Canada of the North. This is the vision!

— Future prime minister John Diefenbaker, Campaign speech opening the 1957 election campaign, Massey Hall, Toronto, April 25, 1957

It is my hope and my belief that as we continue to work out Canada’s destiny, our national spirit and our national purpose will shine — as this Centennial Flame now shines before us here — humbly but strongly before all the world as an example of what men and women working together to build the good society.

— Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, lighting the Centennial Flame, Parliament Hill, Dec. 31, 1966

There is one thing I want you to carry out of this hall tonight. Each of us in our heart has tried to define “what is Canada?” But one thing I know — Canada is not an abstraction; Canada is not a theory; it is beyond logic. Our country is not solely a product of the mind, because in many ways it does not make sense. Over the years there are people who have said that it has not been worth the price of being Canadian, and even today, there are those who want to break our country up. My answer to them is not logic, but in the heart. If you cast vote for me, you will be choosing a Canada that believes in nationalism, has pride in our community, our political sovereignty, our economic integrity.

— John N. Turner, speech to the 1968 Liberal leadership convention, April 5, 1968

I was told that no more than two days ago Mr. (René) Lévesque was saying that part of my name was Elliott and, since Elliott was an English name, it was perfectly understandable that I was for the NO side, because, really, you see, I was not as much of a Quebecer as those who are going to vote YES … Of course my name is Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Yes, Elliott was my mother’s name. It was the name borne by the Elliotts who came to Canada more than two hundred years ago. It is the name of the Elliotts who, more than one hundred years ago, settled in Saint-Gabriel de Brandon, where you can still see their graves in the cemetery. That is what the Elliotts are. My name is a Québec name, but my name is a Canadian name also, and that’s the story of my name.

— Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Speech during the Quebec Referendum campaign, Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, May 14, 1980

Canada’s involvement in the struggle against apartheid has deep roots, extending far beyond the efforts of this government and this Parliament and encompasses a multitude of Canadians who have assisted the people of South Africa, individually or through churches, trade unions, educational institutions, and non-government organizations. I remember, Mr. Mandela, with pride, the stand taken by Canada’s prime minister, John Diefenbaker, at the Commonwealth Conference of 1961, which resulted in South Africa’s withdrawal from that body … Mr. Diefenbaker’s action marked the beginning of international pressure on the apartheid regime.

— Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, introducing the newly freed Nelson Mandela, House of Commons, June 18, 1990

(My Canadian images include) a salmon barbecue with the Haida people at Hotspring Island in the Queen Charlotte Islands; sailing off the Gulf Islands; the glorious celebration that was the (1988) Winter Olympics here in Calgary; canoeing down the Burnside River to Bathurst Inlet on the Arctic Ocean; meeting with loggers in Kenora in the Rainy River District of Ontario; cheering for the Blue Jays at the SkyDome; seeing new aluminum being poured at Bagotville on the shores of the Saguenay; walking in the fishing ports of Atlantic Canada; supper at harvest time in southern Saskatchewan … and I remember in the southern part of the great province, these short lines:

‘God comes down in the rain, And the crop will grow tall, This is the country faith, And the best of all.’

— Former prime minister John Napier Turner, farewell speech to the Liberal convention, Calgary, June 21, 1990

We celebrate today the birth of our country; we affirm today our love of country and our faith in its future. We are reminded today that our country has been passed into our keeping, and is kept in the hearts and minds of our people. We are also mindful of how far we have travelled together, and how much we have yet to accomplish together. Canada’s first Prime Minister (Sir John A. Macdonald) sought, unsuccessfully, to give women the vote. Today, a century after his passing, a woman stands before you as Prime Minister of Canada.

— Prime Minister Kim Campbell, Signal Hill, St. John’s, N.L., July 1, 1993

Sir Wilfrid Laurier predicted that the 20th century would belong to Canada. His bold dream is the Canadian dream. It is our dream. And it has come true in ways that even he could never have imagined. Our common obligation, as we look to the new century, is to keep faith with the Canadian dream. A dream that is a guiding inspiration not only for us but for people around the world who look upon Canada’s success as a beacon of hope.

— Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Canada Day Message, July 1, 1999

Honour your country. Believe in yourself. Believe in your ability to contribute to building an ever-stronger Canada. Be prepared to fight for it. Always love it.

— Former prime minister Jean Chrétien, addressing graduates, Queen’s University, May 27, 2004

We are the quiet patriots. But we are resolute. Our love is strong. Our pride runs deep. Our country is Canada.

— Prime Minister Paul Martin, Canada Day, Parliament Hill, July 1, 2004

If we work hard in the pursuit of something greater than ourselves, if we respect our differences in order to accomplish great things together, and if we always dream bigger and greater dreams for ourselves, for our families and for Canada, then I believe the best is truly yet to come.

— Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper, Honouring the Fathers of Confederation, Charlottetown, June 19, 2014

In 1867, Confederation became a reality thanks to the compromise and vision of people like John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Carter. What began as a partnership between four provinces became something much greater; a country that is extraordinary, prosperous and generous. A land of possibility. Canada has been blessed with leaders of all stripes who recognized how special this place is. Leaders who believed in the Canadian dream, who built railways and highways and seaways to connect us to each other, and to the world. These projects became the backbone of Canada; infrastructure worthy of a great nation.

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Parliament Hill address, 150th anniversary of Confederation, July 1, 2017

Canada is the land of opportunity, the land of generosity, the land of tolerance, the land of stability, the land of rule of laws. It is our land that is the envy of the world. Canada will continue to rise through North Strong and Free. Nobody will starve us into submission because Canada is and will remain the best country in the world.

— Jean Chrétien, Ottawa, March 9, 2025

The ceremony we just witnessed reflects the wonder of a country built on the bedrock of three peoples: Indigenous, French and British. The opening and closing prayers evoke the original stewards of this land to remind us of the deep roots from which we grow and underscore the values to which we aspire. The office of the Governor General links us through the Crown and across time to Canada’s proud British heritage. On these foundations, Canadians have built a dynamic nation that celebrates its diversity, that cares for the vulnerable in society and that always strives for a better tomorrow.

— The Right Honourable Mark Carney, remarks after being sworn-in as prime minister, Rideau Hall, Ottawa, March 14, 2025

We want Canada to be strong, a True North as strong, and as free, as it can be, in every way that matters, the best country in the world. Canada must be great for all Canadians. And when it is all of these things, only then can we say, that we have been true to this great country.

— Former prime minister Stephen Harper, unveiling of his official portrait, Parliament Hill, Feb. 3, 2026

Quotes compiled by Arthur Milnes

Kingston’s Arthur Milnes, a speechwriter to then prime minister Stephen Harper and the Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s memoirs’ assistant, is the editor of Canada Always: The Defining Speeches of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and, co-editor (with Sarah K. Gibson) of Canada Transformed: The Speeches of Sir John A. Macdonald.

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