“Today, as the United States marks 250 years of independence, Canada joins in celebration.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated: ‘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.’

President Roosevelt spoke these words before our brave women and men fought side by side on the beaches of Normandy, and in the mountains of Korea and Afghanistan. Before we built the St. Lawrence Seaway to connect our economies and the world. Before we created NORAD to defend our shared continent. Before we pushed to the frontiers of space exploration – a shared ambition that took our astronauts to the dark side of the Moon aboard Artemis II.

Canadians and Americans have built our friendship and prosperity one generation at a time. Together, we have stood in the face of tragedy, from American firefighters helping to combat the flames in Fort McMurray, to Canadians opening their homes to stranded American passengers after 9/11. Together, we have built more opportunity and prosperity for our workers than we ever could have apart.

Together, we have raised a monument to peace that is an inspiration to the entire world.

And today, Canadians celebrate America and our enduring friendship. 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 join the American fleet in the Sail250 in Norfolk, Baltimore, and New York City, a proud display of our longstanding defence partnership.

Beyond the lights and the ships, we will also leave a lasting symbol of the roots that connect our peoples: Canada is gifting 250 maple trees to be planted in the U.S. capital and across the 13 U.S. states that border our nation.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, I extend my best wishes to the American people as they celebrate the United States’ 250^th birthday.”