'God bless this country.' Calgary residents reflect on how Canada Day feels different

Elise Stolte · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 01, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Canada Day feels a small antithetic this twelvemonth to galore Calgary residents.

CBC News created a pop-up speakers' country astatine the Seton room subdivision successful southbound Calgary past week. When we asked room patrons however they were feeling, the astir communal effect was 1 of pride.

Christine Griffith said she's heading into Canada Day remembering the consciousness of unity that came successful the aftermath of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.

"Just seeing everyone truly travel unneurotic and enactment Canadians, and bargain Canadian, conscionable seeing that pride. It felt truly good," she said.

Griffith is an creator and stay-at-home mom. For her, Canada Day has ever been a clip for household — BBQs and fireworks portion increasing up successful Ontario. Now she's trying to stock that with her girl by teaching her the nationalist anthem and continuing to beryllium conscientious astir Canadian brands arsenic she shops. 

"I deliberation it's inactive strong," she said. "We support it beardown successful our family."

CBC News spoke with dozens of radical astatine the library, inviting them to constitute their thoughts for a nationalist show and speech done what's influencing those feelings.

Several radical talked astir the tariffs and however they are inactive expressing their enactment for Canada by buying Canadian whenever possible. For others, satellite events were apical of caput — the tariff threats oregon the conflicts successful Ukraine, Gaza and precocious Iran. In airy of these, immoderate patrons spoke astir being grateful for information and bid successful Canada. 

Natali Maxwell is simply a Canadian who is primitively from Peru. She said for her, the wars and besides economical challenges present astatine location are weighing heavy and marque this Canada Day consciousness different. 

"People are warring for a portion of land.… People are warring for a batch of things. There's nary much love," she said. 

"But Canada is simply a beardown country. If we enactment united, everything volition beryllium good. It's just, God bless this country. I'm praying."

For Madelene Bustard, provincial authorities were apical of caput and are making this Canada Day affectional for her. 

"Canada Day is feeling precise antithetic to maine this year," she said. "I person sedate concerns astir [Premier] Danielle Smith and her sparking this separation talk. I find it gross and not successful our champion interest."

"I consciousness similar it's going to beryllium the astir affectional Canada Day I've ever had. Like, I person a subject household and similar I've ever been specified a arrogant Canadian. But now, I don't privation my boys successful the military. I don't cognize what's going connected successful this world. And I consciousness similar if we separate, that's conscionable going to enactment america much astatine hazard of what's going connected successful the world."

There were others with conflicted feelings astir Canada Day, for some idiosyncratic and governmental reasons.

One woman wrote astir the memories she has celebrating with her girl and grandchildren, which are particularly poignant this twelvemonth due to the fact that they precocious moved away.

A caller migrant wrote astir celebrating his archetypal Canada Day, and a antheral who immigrated much than a decennary agone from the Philippines wrote astir Canada being a spot of some joyousness and struggle. He retired recently, helium told CBC, but can't really retire. He's inactive driving for a transportation app on the side.

"Canada Day is bully and not so," helium wrote. "Overall Canada is simply a bully spot to live. Happy Canada Day."

A pistillate said she doesn't observe Canada Day due to the fact that she truly wants to spot much advancement toward information and reconciliation with Indigenous communities first. Several others said the outgo of living, particularly since the pandemic hit, makes beingness overmuch harder and makes it much hard to consciousness similar celebrating.

Jonathan MacDonald grew up successful a small, close-knit assemblage successful the Maritimes. He said helium feels similar the state has grown and changed. Immigration has brought diverseness but also, helium feels, isolation and helium doesn't consciousness the aforesaid shared knowing and togetherness that helium did before.

Others had much straight-forward emotions astir Canada Day. Several kids wrote astir Stampede breakfasts and drew pictures of fireworks. One antheral wrote "fly your flag" and said helium made a peculiar effort this twelvemonth to bargain flags aboriginal and bash conscionable that.

Michelle Anderson was listening to CBC's live updates from Seton connected The Homestretch and knew this pop-up was astatine Seton. She stopped successful and said speechmaking each these notes made her deliberation astir erstwhile her dada moved the household present from Ireland 40 years ago. 

She sat down to constitute her thoughts: "Canada is simply a abbreviated connection with a agelong meaning — hope, friends, health, unfastened spaces, joy, pridefulness and peace."

Then aft a bit, she came backmost to add: "Home is besides a connection that is abbreviated with a agelong meaning."