These journeys gave me an appreciation for the scale of Canada — the southern part of it, anyway — and of the time and effort required to even begin to know it in its diverse vastness. I am Canadian, but as an adult, I’ve occasionally struggled to find meaning in that — something more tangible than tired stereotypes about niceness and putting up with the cold.

When I first read Wade Davis’ brilliant essay, “North Star,” which will launch this series (and appears on page 42 in our July/August 2025 print edition), I thought about those childhood road trips and the many others that followed, and realized that I feel most Canadian when I’m in motion on the landscape: canoeing across a rain-dimpled Ontario lake, clambering over red rocks on a P.E.I. beach, flying down a B.C. mountainside on skis. In experiencing our geography, I experience what could be said to be defining traits of Canadianness: strength. Determination. Capability. Curiosity. Contentment.

The outpouring of love for this country that followed Trump’s insults and annexation threats is truly inspiring; that a place this large and diverse could rally so quickly around apparently shared values is nothing short of miraculous. As we developed the line-up for this print issue, available everywhere in time for Canada Day, my team and I knew we needed to recognize this historic moment. But we also wanted to prompt Canadians to reflect on where we go from here.  

Trump’s re-election and his actions during his first six months in office have exposed the fragility of western democracy and the social contract that binds us. As we witness the erosion of reproductive freedoms, the erasure of queer and trans people, the gutting of federal science and disaster response agencies, the indiscriminate arrests of undocumented immigrants and American citizens alike, and, this week, the outright violence in response to the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, it’s tempting to think Canada is better than that, that it could never happen here. But ask an Indigenous person what can happen when a political leader appoints themselves a saviour. Ask a newcomer to Canada how welcome they truly feel. You’ll see stories like these appearing as part of this series.

Not long after our own federal election this spring, new fault lines appeared along provincial boundaries. Some of the patriotic feeling that carried us through the winter has cooled. We had asked Montreal-based journalist Francine Pelletier to comment on the state of relations between English Canada and French Quebec, never anticipating that the latest threat to confederation would come from Alberta. I think her conclusion still applies: this 158-year-old project called Canada only works if we stand together and “hold on tight to our better angels.”

It’s summer, a time we usually spend relaxing and connecting with family and friends in our favourite places and exploring geographies new to us. We’ve spent the first half of 2025 with our elbows up, but it’s equally important to rest, look around, and remember what it is we’re defending. I hope the stories in this special issue of Canadian Geographic spark conversations about what it means to be Canadian — in Canada and in the world.

What does it mean to you?