Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears at a Liberal Party fundraiser in Markham, Ont., Friday, June 28, 2024. Trudeau has released his annual Canada Day message. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has released a video message to Canadians on Canada Day. Here's what he had to say, in his own words.

"Hello everyone, happy Canada Day. No matter where you are, I hope you're celebrating the incredible people, the land and the story that is Canada.

It's a story that began more than 157 years ago, with Indigenous Peoples who called this land home since time immemorial.

It's a story of sacrifice. When Canadian soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, they knew they were risking their lives, but freedom — even for those across an ocean, even for generations of people they'd never meet — was worth fighting for.

Our rights and freedoms are never guaranteed. They're safeguarded every day by trailblazers, journalists, activists, organizers — people who want to keep building a country where we can disagree, sometimes passionately, but where we always come together in the pursuit of something greater than ourselves. A country where everyone has a fair shot, no matter who they are, where they come from, how they pray or whom they love.

Those are the values that hold us together as Canadians. It's the reason so many people around the world save up everything they have and leave behind everything they know to be part of our story.

It's a story that includes injustices, ones that we're confronting on our shared path of reconciliation. It's a story of learning. Learning that we're stronger not in spite of our differences, but because of them.

And it's a story that's still being written by incredible Canadians who step up for their community and country.

From the workers and volunteers who cared for our most vulnerable in the long days of the pandemic, to the brave first responders who, even now, race towards danger to protect homes from wildfires, to the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces who stand on the front lines, fighting for democracy and freedom.

People — brave, kind, resilient people — that is the story of Canada. That's what makes our country the very best place on Earth, so let's keep making it even better. Happy Canada Day."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024