In Ottawa, Prime Minister Mark Carney marked the United States’ semiquincentennial on Friday, calling the 250-year milestone a celebration of a friendship “built one generation at a time.”
In a statement released today, Carney said Canada joins in celebration as the U.S. marks 250 years of independence, and pointed to the deep history between the two neighbours.
He quoted former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1936 remark that “the noblest monument to peace and to neighbourly economic and social friendship in all the world is not a monument in bronze or stone, but the boundary which unites the United States and Canada.”
Carney noted that the partnership has been tested and strengthened through joint service and cooperation, from Canadians and Americans fighting “side by side on the beaches of Normandy, and in the mountains of Korea and Afghanistan,” to building shared infrastructure like the St. Lawrence Seaway and defense systems like NORAD. He also cited cooperation in space, including Canadian astronauts flying “to the dark side of the Moon aboard Artemis II.”
The Prime Minister highlighted moments of solidarity during crises, recalling American firefighters helping to battle wildfires in Fort McMurray and Canadians opening their homes to stranded U.S. passengers after 9/11.
“Together, we have built more opportunity and prosperity for our workers than we ever could have apart”. He continues, “Together, we have raised a monument to peace that is an inspiration to the entire world.”
To mark the occasion, several symbolic gestures are planned. Canada’s embassy in Washington, D.C. will be illuminated, and Niagara Falls will be lit in red, white, and blue. Canadian military vessels will also participate in the Sail250 fleet events in Norfolk, Baltimore, and New York City.
In what Carney called a “lasting symbol of the roots that connect our peoples,” Canada will gift 250 maple trees to be planted in the U.S. capital and across the 13 U.S. states that border Canada.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I extend my best wishes to the American people as they celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday,” Carney concluded.
