I’ve been fortunate enough to see  a few countries on different continents during my personal and business travels. I always end up comparing the place I visit to the one I call home, Canada, and reflect on how lucky I am to live in such a great country.

It’s difficult to rank what I like best about this vast land: the ethnic and cultural diversity, the respect that people show for each other, the tolerance and acceptance, its peacefulness and natural beauty. Or maybe the fact that so many immigrants that land at the airport with just two suitcases and many hopes and dreams end up fulfilling many of them.

An older gentlemen who was visiting Canada from Europe once told me: “It’s amazing to see people of so many races living together peacefully here in Canada, while in other countries people of the same ethnicity don’t seem to get along at all “. His words always come to mind when I watch the news and see what’s happening around us.

If you had to use a single word to describe what makes Canada different from the rest of the world, what would that word be? Post your answer in the Comments section below.

Happy 145th birthday Canada!