Dominion Day 1967 was a big one. It was, of course, the 100th anniversary of Confederation, and Canadians celebrated their nation from coast-to-coast-to-coast throughout that special weekend. Because July 1 fell on a Saturday, many newspapers couldn’t publish the Prime Minister’s Centennial Day message until Monday July 3. Below is Prime Minister Lester Pearson’s statement as it appeared in the Ottawa Journal on this date in 1967. The Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson: This day, 100th anniversary of the beginning of our Confederation; this day, our Centennial Birthday, belongs to every Canadian. Those of us whose privilege it is to represent in public office the people of this country will play our formal roles in the pageants of this historic day. But the history and the heritage we celebrate are the possession of all Canadians, whatever our origin, whatever our occupation, wherever we live and work. Every one of you, and every Canadian before you, has had some part, however humble and unsung, in building this magnificent national structure of Confederation that we honor and salute today. As the world, to survive the nuclear future, must become a community of peace for all mankind, so must our country be a true homeland for all Canadians as it moves into its second century. The Fathers of Confederation, and those who followed them, have built a strong foundation for this Canadian home. As we begin our second hundred years, we must continue the work of furnishing it so that it will fulfill the hopes and aspirations of all our people for a good life. This is a memorable day for Canada. Ours is a good land. Our Centennial resolve must be to make it better for our children and our children's children. God bless our country. Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist.  He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy.  A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.