We asked 7 celebrities what being Canadian means to them — here's what they said
As part of our My Canada series, we spoke to Canadian celebrities, public figures, athletes and more about what it means to be Canadian for a special edition of Unapologetically. Scroll down to see what celebrities, athletes and changemakers say being Canadian means to them.
Hometown: Toronto, Ont.
Best known for: Host of Breakfast Television
"Canada is my birthplace. It's my family, my friends, my career. It's my heart," the daytime television host told Yahoo Canada. "It's a whole bunch of people coming together in this beautiful cultural mosaic, learning together, growing together."
Pugliese is quick to note that "there's been hurt" and "pain" for many Canadians. "But there's also healing," she said. "And there's beauty!"
Pugliese is a first-generation Canadian who was raised to be proud of her Italian heritage.
"To be Canadian is really about my roots. It's the family tree, it's, it's our roots," she said. "And then all of these beautiful trees come together in this beautiful Canadian forest, and here we are, hopefully flourishing together."
Hometown: Regina, Sask.
Best known for: Professional snowboarder, three-time Olympic medalist and 24-time Winter X Game medalist
"I love being able to travel around the world and say I'm Canadian," McMorris said in an interview with Yahoo Canada. "It's the best thing ever. We are such a great nation..."
Although he can "vividly remember" having Canadian pride as a kid, "everything really changed" after he won his first Olympic medal in 2024. That's when the athlete could fully appreciate the immense privilege of representing his country.
"Those are really special things, and a huge honour," he said. "I'm proud to be a Canadian and proud to be setting an example for younger Canadians. It's a cool role to play."
McMorris said his success was partly fuelled by his "determination" to prove to people that the flatlands of Saskatchewan can produce one of the world's most talented snowboarders.
"Being from the Prairies has made me who I am and it's made me have a ton of grit... .," he said'. "And that has given me a lot of extra motivation to make it happen. I am super proud of where I come from and the people who hail from Saskatchewan. I feel like most people there, just the way we grow up, makes you humble and I'm thankful to come from a place like that."
Hometown: Richmond Hill, Ont.
Best known for: Cityline and Breakfast Television
"Every time we're in a situation where there's some kind of national threat, we all remember that we're so proud," Moore recently told Yahoo Canada.
The former Cityline host said while other countries may have a "base level of humanity," there's something intrinsically special about Canadians
"At our core, people actually care about each other here," she said. "I see examples of it every day."
Moore said acts of kindness might not always make headlines, but if you really pay attention you'll see that they're everywhere you look.
"I see people helping the elderly take their groceries to the car. I see cars stopping to let people go across. I see people asking, 'Are you OK?' on the street to strangers….," she said. "There's a level of politeness there that's an unspoken rule and I respect that about Canadians."
Hometown: Caledon, Ont.
Best known for:The Social on CTV
"Right now — to me — being Canadian means being able to speak your mind," Grelo said, adding that although it sounds "so simple" one only has to look at the political unrest in the United States to see that not everyone is afforded the same freedom of expression.
"Not everybody likes what everybody is saying [in Canada], but I can appreciate the fact that we're all allowed to say what we want to say," she continued, while noting that her feelings don't extend to hate speech.""It it feels like something so simple, but you can see how quickly that right can be easily removed…."
Grelo said the recent federal election was proof that while we may be a "divided country" there are some principles that Canadians agree on.
"I think we still value what people will say Canada was built on: diversity in nationalities and diversity in thought," she said. "We're still allowed to have diversity of thought to a much greater degree... [compared to] the U.S. where there's actual consequences for that.'
Hometown: Brantford, Ont.
Best known for: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 2025 cover star
'Being Canadian means so much to me. I didn't realize how proud I am to be Canadian until I moved away over a decade ago," said Chan, who now resides in New York City. "I'm very proud that being Canadian has instilled in me the impulse to act in a way that considers others. I've realized living abroad that it's not something that everybody in the world does... I am the way that I am because I'm Canadian. '
Hometown: St. Catharines, Ont.
Best known for: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight fighter - ranked 6th in the world
Jasudavicius recently told Yahoo Canada that she became more aware of her Canadian pride when she started fighting internationally.
"I am very proud to be able to represent Canada on the international stage," she said.
Given her strength in the octagon, it's hard to believe that Jasudavicius had never tried her hand at mixed martial arts (MMA) or any kind of training until 2015. In the span of a few short years, she's risen through the ranks to boast an impressive professional record of 14 wins to three loss — all of which were by decision.
"I hope to inspire other Canadian females to challenge themselves," Jasudavicius said. "To make a goal that initially seems out of reach, work hard everyday towards that goal, and watch it get accomplished.'
Hometown: Toronto, Ont.
Best known for: Playing guitar for The Beaches
"I think our country really came together this year, and it makes us feel prouder than ever to be Canadian," Earl recently told Yahoo Canada.
Earl and her bandmates are no strangers to braving the elements for a show. The Juno award-winning group makes the best of it, even in the country's coldest temperatures.
"The first time we ever played Quebec City it was negative 30 outside and we all went for a walk before the set," she said. "We thought it would be fun to get the maple syrup on a stick snack that they make in the snow.'
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Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Premiers praise Carney and one another as they wrap up meetings in Ontario
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Carney slept at the cottage on Monday before joining the Council of the Federation meetings in Huntsville, Ont., on Tuesday for a discussion about trade talks with the U.S. Premiers revealed little of what they learned in those discussions, with Aug. 1 fast approaching. That's the deadline Trump has set to raise tariffs on some Canadian goods to 35 per cent, and the day by which Carney has said he wants to strike a deal with the U.S. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the Americans are signalling they will not start renegotiating the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade until 2026, something she called disappointing. But Smith said Canada is working toward deals on specific sectors Trump is targeting, like vehicles, steel and aluminum, and lumber. 'If we can come up with some kind of common arrangement on those issues, those sectoral agreements by Aug. 1, we'll look at that as a win. And if it takes a little bit longer to renegotiate the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement to make sure that we get it right, then I'm supportive of that,' Smith said. The prime minister and the premiers downplayed the value of getting a deal done soon to avoid further U.S. tariffs, saying they want the best deal possible regardless of timing. A number of provinces and territories have signed agreements to open up internal trade, while others have committed to building pipelines to get oil and gas to new markets. 'No other group of premiers, as long as I can ever remember, have been able to sign 11 (memorandums of understanding),' said Ford, who is this year's chair of the Council of the Federation. The premiers did release a list of things they said they want Ottawa to address. In a statement issued Wednesday, they called on the federal government to improve Canada's trading relationship with China. 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Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
The key to a happy relationship? For some couples, it's living apart: 'Trust, honesty and humour'
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New research from the U.K. also found that older adults in LAT relationships had better mental health than those who lived with their partner or spouse. June*, a 72-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., is an example of someone who, along with her 71-year-old partner Ed*, made the choice to live apart. They've been happily doing so ("with some ups and downs," like all couples) for almost 43 years. June, who admits to being "old school," said she knew very early on that she didn't want children, so she never felt the need to get married. As for Ed, she noted she knew from the get-go that he had no interest in marrying again after a divorce. Still, they committed to being together while continuing to have their own homes, which happen to be in different towns roughly a 40-minute drive apart. The key to making it work after all these years? Trust and communication. "I don't know what makes it work so well." she said. 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Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Deal or no deal, Trump's looming 35% tariff has business worried about current exemptions
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