Yesterday was Canada Day. While visiting with my American friends from Washington, D.C., they asked, “Where are you watching fireworks?” Fair question... especially with all the hype that surrounds the Fourth of July.

After I got home from dinner, I heard the occasional boom... so I guess I kinda did.

By the way, if you’ve got an afternoon to kill in Toronto this summer, consider visiting the ROM to see the exhibit https://www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/exhibitions/auschwitz-not-long-ago-not-far-away  

Auschwitz.

I recently read about Dr. Joe Schwarcz and found him fascinating. As we marked Canada Day, it's easy to focus on the usual symbols: the maple leaf, the anthem, the fireworks. But Canada’s true strength isn’t in its iconography... it’s in the people who shape it, day by day, through curiosity, courage, and quiet conviction.

Dr. Joe Schwarcz is one such person.

You might know him as the science guy from McGill. Or from his radio show. Or maybe from one of his lectures, where chemistry feels like a magic trick. Earlier this year, Dr. Schwarcz received one of our country’s highest civilian honours... the Order of Canada... for his work in making science accessible to Canadians from all walks of life.

He didn’t earn that recognition by fitting the mold.

He earned it because he didn’t.

He brought himself.

That’s what strikes me most about Joe Schwarcz. In a world that often nudges us toward sameness... toward packaging ourselves for approval... he carved out space simply by being radically himself: curious, a little quirky, passionate, playful, and deeply committed to making knowledge human.

He made science feel like a conversation, not a lecture.

And in doing so, he reminded us that being different isn’t a liability. It’s often the very thing that creates impact.

There’s something profoundly Canadian in that idea. Not the version of Canada sold on postcards, but the deeper version... the one that embraces complexity, celebrates nuance, and invites people to bring their full selves forward.

It’s tempting... to shape-shift into someone we think others want us to be. To downplay the accent. Hide the vulnerability. Smooth the edges. Be more corporate, less curious. More polished, less passionate.

But when we do that, we lose something vital... not just in ourselves, and our shared future.

As we reflect on what it means to be Canadian, it’s important to honour the original stewards of this land. Canada’s story didn’t begin with Confederation... it began with the First Peoples, whose cultures and knowledge continue to shape this country.

May we keep listening, learning, and moving toward a future rooted in truth and reconciliation.

via careerjoy