As we move into the first full week of 2025, and most of us return to our regular post-holiday lives, I thought I will capture some of my most personal thoughts coming from my over-the-holiday reflections about my life, my profession, and my purpose. This time of year always feels like a bridge between where we’ve been and where we’re going – a moment to consider the weight of what we carry forward and the clarity of what we leave behind.

For me, these reflections inevitably turn to a question I hold close to my heart and that I try to ask myself during moments of introspection: what does it mean to be Canadian?

To me, being Canadian is not simply a matter of citizenship or geography. It’s about something much deeper: a set of values, a sense of belonging, and an unshakable commitment to the shared ambition of creating a better future. Canada has always been a place of profound possibility, a mosaic of people and ideas bound together by a belief in progress, equity, and respect. But 2025 presents many new realities – where, to me, the work of being Canadian feels more urgent, more complex, and more necessary than the years before.

I believe that Canada’s identity is rooted in its contradictions. We are vast yet interconnected, diverse yet unified, modern yet deeply tied to spoken and unspoken tradition. It’s this complexity that makes our country remarkable, but it’s also what challenges us. To truly live up to the ideals we hold so dear, we must embrace the dual responsibilities of preserving what makes us unique and pushing ourselves to evolve and grow.

For me, being Canadian begins with an honest reckoning with our past. We cannot fully embrace the future without understanding the weight of history, particularly our shared responsibilities toward reconciliation with Indigenous communities. This work is not a chapter to be completed but a continuous story to be written with humility and respect. It’s about listening, learning, and ensuring that equity and justice are more than aspirations – they are committed actions.

Being Canadian also means engaging with the present and imagining the future with courage. In a world grappling with climate change, technological disruption, and increasing polarization, Canada has the opportunity to lead – not through grand inconsequential gestures, a tendency we seem to have succumbed to more frequently of late, but through thoughtful, deliberate action. Whether it’s developing sustainable technologies, fostering collaboration across industries, or simply living the values of inclusion and empathy in our day-to-day lives, we can and must be a model of what is possible when values drive creativity and innovation.

Last year, as I experimented with different forms of content, I briefly forayed into creating a YouTube channel – a small but meaningful experiment designed to explore how I could contribute to the Canadian narrative in my own unique ways. My intent was twofold: first, to test video as a medium for content creation and dissemination, and second, to counter the growing wave of critical and defeatist visual content about Canada. Much of this content, often consumed by new immigrants and international students, paints a picture of disillusionment and complaint. While the experiences shared in such content are valid and deserve attention, I felt compelled to offer a different perspective – one that reflects the Canada I know and believe in. To me, Canada remains a great country. It is my home, and it is progressive. I plan to continue challenging negative attitudes, especially those that are there for the sake of being negative, in my own small way, while reminding others – and perhaps even myself – that while our challenges are real, they do not define us. What defines us is how we meet them.

Personally, my commitment to Canada’s future lies in my belief that adaptability and resilience are the cornerstones of progress. In my work, I strive to create spaces where unexplored ideas can flourish, where the voices of many can come together to build something greater than the sum of its parts. I believe that any future oriented strategy cannot be just about solving problems, it has to be about uncovering opportunities, asking the right questions, and staying rooted in the outcomes that matter most.

Being Canadian is about recognizing the incredible gift of living in a country that values diversity, openness, and collaboration. It’s about being grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given while understanding that gratitude alone is not enough. I have a responsibility to contribute – not just through my work, but through the way I live and engage with others.

There’s a quiet strength in Canada, one that often goes unspoken but is deeply felt by all of us who call Canada home. It’s the strength of a nation that doesn’t shy away from its challenges but meets them with humility and determination. It’s the strength of individuals who understand that progress isn’t always linear, but it is always worth pursuing.

As I reflect on what it means to be Canadian in 2025, I see a country that is still unfinished, still striving, still growing. And that is what makes it extraordinary. Canada’s story is not static. It is dynamic, evolving with every decision we make and every step we take. My hope, and my commitment, is to contribute to a narrative that is thoughtful, ambitious, and deeply rooted in the belief that our greatest days are yet to come.

This, to me, is what it means to be Canadian in 2025: to embrace the responsibility of our past, the complexity of our present, and the boundless possibility of our future. It’s a journey I am proud to be part of and a purpose I carry with humility and hope.