As we approach the Canada Day holiday amid terrible tragedy, your Library is a place for belonging and developing your own understanding of our country.

The recent discovery of the 215 unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, many hundreds more at a site in Saskatchewan and other parts of the country, and the indication of more to come, combined with the recent murder of a Muslim family in London, have led many people to question what Canada is all about and how much it is worth celebrating.

We think of Canada as a country characterized by peace, stability, prosperity, advanced human rights and multicultural diversity. But as we are learning, we are far from perfect. The immense destruction of the Indigenous nations that were here first is but one example of our failures. 

So this year, I challenge you to think of what you can do to make Canada a better place, to tackle the unresolved issues, to begin a journey toward being a better Canadian. To begin your journey, the Library has created reading lists for children and adults on our website, as well as reading lists for children and adults on CloudLibrary and our mobile app. You can also check out this week’s Virtual Storytime featuring Canada-themed books and a kid-friendly land acknowledgement as a starting point for your own family’s discussions. 

Together, let’s take a moment to contemplate what we love about Canada, how fortunate we are, but also what we can do better.