“Today is a Canada Day like none other before it. As we celebrate this great nation and all of its privileges and freedoms, Alberta has extra cause for celebration. Today, we become the first province in Canada to lift nearly all COVID-19 health restrictions.

“We embark upon this reopening because of the miracle of vaccines and Albertans’ willingness to get protected. We take this step together, in confidence, and filled with the hope that much brighter days for Alberta are ahead.

“As we celebrate the founding of this great Northern Dominion, let us be grateful for those who went before us, who made enormous sacrifices to build this country. From the Indigenous people who founded the first communities here to the voyagers and pioneers and all those who followed in their footsteps, we are grateful for this nation that they built. Though our history is imperfect, Canada endures as a nation that learns from the mistakes of the past to build an ever more prosperous, welcoming, and free country.

“Today, as we celebrate the country we continue to build, I’d like to thank each and every Albertan for the tremendous resiliency they have demonstrated time and again over the last 18 months. This is a day you have earned, and it’s one I hope you are able to enjoy with friends and loved ones in ways you haven’t been able to in so very long.

“Happy Canada Day, Alberta! God bless Canada.”