Canada

There is a serious argument that Canada is no longer merely a large country with regional differences, but a country so vast, economically uneven, and culturally divided that it is becoming nearly impossible to govern effectively from the centre. That argument should not be dismissed as anger, nostalgia, or Western grievance. It deserves to be examined on its merits.

As Canada Day nears, the expected attitude is one of gratitude, for clean air, public health care, relative safety and ketchup chips. But Canadians haven’t been feeling so jovial as of late. And for good reason: the cost of groceries is rising, rent is too high and the future feels less certain than it used to. And according to the latest World Happiness Report, that feeling is in the numbers.

Canada, once comfortably among the happiest countries in the world, ranked 25th in the 2026 World Happiness Report. To put the decline in perspective: in 2025, it ranked 18th; in 2021, it ranked 14th; and in 2015, it ranked a now hard to imagine fifth place. (We rank behind the U.S. now, which sits at a slightly loftier 23rd place.)

This Canada Day, let’s celebrate our great nation unequivocally without the obligatory nod to guilt and grievance. We have just one day a year dedicated to the celebration of the free, democratic, tolerant country our predecessors built for us, and plenty of other days each year to focus on the endless social justice causes favoured by politicians on the left.

While Canadians are a patriotic lot, one in four are not overly confident in the country’s long-term future, according to a new Postmedia-Leger poll.

Fifteen per cent of Canadians said they do not think Canada, “with its current borders and provinces will still exist 50 years from now.”

On June 12, 2026, the eyes of the nation were fixed on a stadium in Toronto where Canada met Bosnia in a soccer game; the result was a 1-1 tie. Great was the rejoicing in the tents of Canadian fans of the sport. Never before had Canada gained a point in a World Cup tournament!

In two previous tournaments, we lost all six games we played and only managed to put the ball in the opposing net twice. Clearly a tie with Bosnia was a massive improvement. The CBC reported that it “should be a point of pride for Canada … a huge confidence booster for the co-hosts.”