{"id":774587,"date":"2026-07-02T02:57:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T02:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/774587\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T02:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T02:57:13","slug":"carney-unable-to-deliver-canada-day-speech-due-to-thunderstorms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/774587\/","title":{"rendered":"Carney unable to deliver Canada Day speech due to thunderstorms"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the separation debate swirls, the Alberta legislature is hosting the largest Canada Day celebration outside Ottawa. CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson has m <\/p>\n

Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Canadians to remain united in a\u00a0Canada\u00a0Day\u00a0speech in the nation\u2019s capital on Wednesday, but his plan to deliver similar remarks in Edmonton later in the\u00a0day\u00a0was upended by thunderstorms that prevented his plane from taking off on time.<\/p>\n

Canadians gathered across the country to mark 159 years of Confederation, as the country grapples with a changing world and emerging separatist movements.<\/p>\n

In Ottawa, Carney said the country was formed on partnership and accommodation, rather than assimilation and domination.<\/p>\n

He spoke to thousands gathered a short drive from Parliament Hill, just moments before a prolonged storm cancelled official events including the evening fireworks.<\/p>\n

Carney said Canadians have stood strong and unflinching in the face of global challenges, \u201cworking together, resolutely, to build our future. Because in a crisis, fortune favours the bold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe founding idea of\u00a0Canada\u00a0is simple: unity does not require uniformity,\u201d he said in French.<\/p>\n

\"\"Mark Carney Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives for the Canada Day National noon ceremony at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Justin Tang <\/p>\n

In Quebec, a separation movement has been re-emerging ahead of the province\u2019s October election.<\/p>\n

Carney was scheduled to deliver a speech at\u00a0Canada\u00a0Day\u00a0celebration in Edmonton Wednesday evening. It was to have been a rare Alberta appearance for a prime minister on\u00a0Canada\u00a0Day, and comes as Albertans are set to vote this fall on whether to remain in\u00a0Canada, or hold a binding referendum on separation.<\/p>\n

His spokeswoman said weather conditions in Ottawa prevented his plane from taking off, and he would not make it to Edmonton on time to deliver his speech there and his appearance was cancelled.<\/p>\n

Thunderstorms rolled through Ottawa for most of Wednesday afternoon, bringing strong winds, extremely heavy rain, lightning and threats of hail. More than a dozen flights out of the Ottawa airport were cancelled due to the weather.<\/p>\n

The prime minister began the day\u2019s celebrations on Wednesday serving pancakes in his own riding in the Ottawa suburbs.<\/p>\n

\"\"Carney canada day Stephane Guy, left, a volunteer on the pancake griddle high fives Prime Minister Mark Carney after he successfully flipped a pancake at the Canada Day in Barrhaven celebrations in Ottawa, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Keito Newman <\/p>\n

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took part in\u00a0Canada\u00a0Day\u00a0events in Alberta, and posted on social media that he was among those \u201cproudly celebrating our country\u2019s 159th birthday with the western spirit of hard work, freedom, family, and community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carney\u2019s speech in Ottawa also paid homage to Jeremy Hansen, the only Canadian to make the historic trip around the dark side of the moon earlier this year aboard NASA\u2019s Artemis 2 mission.<\/p>\n

Hansen took the stage after Carney, greeting a crowd of several thousand people at the day\u2019s main festivities, held in a field at LeBreton Flats Park due to construction on Parliament Hill.<\/p>\n

\"\"hansen Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen delivers remarks during the Canada Day National noon ceremony at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Justin Tang <\/p>\n

He spoke about the teamwork of the Artemis crew during the lunar mission, and said he was proud to wear a Canadian mission patch during the journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I look out at all of you, I see the same: A country powerful, together as one \u2014 like a crew \u2014 through shared sacrifice, mutual reliance and a commitment to a collective vision much larger than any single one of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Carney and other dignitaries wore portable fans around their necks during the noon ceremony as the mercury soared.<\/p>\n

Shortly after things wrapped up on the main stage and the weather worsened, some attendees ran for cover to the nearby War Museum. Environment\u00a0Canada\u00a0issued a severe thunderstorm warning, and cautioned that the weather could bring hail and flash flooding.<\/p>\n

Wednesday was Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour\u2019s first\u00a0Canada\u00a0Day\u00a0as the King\u2019s representative, and she said in a video message that she was always very proud to identify herself as Canadian as her career took her around the world.<\/p>\n

\"Gov.Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour takes part in an inspection of the honour guard at the National War Memorial following her installation ceremony as Governor General in Ottawa, on Monday, June 8, 2026. (Spencer Colby \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS) Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour takes part in an inspection of the honour guard at the National War Memorial following her installation ceremony as Governor General in Ottawa, on Monday, June 8, 2026. (Spencer Colby \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS) <\/p>\n

Arbour said\u00a0Canada\u00a0is a country that \u201cshines in many spheres\u201d but is realistic about the challenges ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a country always striving to do better,\u201d she said, giving the example of ongoing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s celebrate together what unites us, not in spite of our differences, but through them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau was among the dignitaries seated at the front of the stage of the midday celebrations. He did not address the crowd but stopped to pose for photos as dozens clustered near the exit after the festivities ended.<\/p>\n

\"\"Trudeau Carney Prime Minister Mark Carney embraces former prime minister Justin Trudeau after at the Canada Day National noon ceremony at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Justin Tang <\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s celebrations touched heavily on U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s repeated talk of annexing\u00a0Canada. Miller said that was one of the moments that brought Canadians together over the past year, along with more joyful times such as Canada\u2019s winning goal in last Sunday\u2019s World Cup match.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a beautiful project in the making,\u201d he said, adding that the U.S. is \u201csabre-rattling and behaving in a way that we don\u2019t recognize what was our best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

American Ambassador Pete Hoekstra made no reference to that rhetoric in a written message Wednesday morning. He instead hailed the close U.S. relationship with\u00a0Canada, saying the ongoing co-hosting of the FIFA World Cup \u201cis just the latest example of our collaboration fostering international success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller said the holiday was a chance to reflect on the freedoms people often take for granted, and the contributions of \u201ctwo founding peoples and the Indigenous peoples that were here before us.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a time to have fun, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanada\u00a0Day\u00a0is a chance to go out and eat some hotdogs, drink beer, listen to some tunes and just relax,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n

\"\"U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra and a merged U.S.-Canada flag are shown in this combination photo. (AP Photo\/Cara Anna) U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra and a merged U.S.-Canada flag are shown in this combination photo. (AP Photo\/Cara Anna) <\/p>\n

Dylan Robertson and Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

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