We celebrated Canada Day on Sunday with festivities across the country. I spent a quiet day on my own but the day never passes without being grateful for living in this country and thinking about all the treasures of this land and its peoples. I also remember where I was when I truly and viscerally learned what it meant to be a Canadian.

As part of my MBA program, our class embarked on a two-week whirlwind trip to Europe. The purpose of the trip was to learn about international business and about being a Canadian living and working abroad. We toured German factories and banks, visited Government House in London, and NATO in Brussels. The highlight of the trip for me was the stops we made at Vimy Ridge and Dieppe.

The spirit of Canada could be felt as soon as you drive into Vimy and wind your way through the 11,285 trees representing the Canadian soldiers lost in battle – a battle that can still be seen in the scarred landscape. It is so hauntingly real it takes your breath away. When you finally arrive at the monument and run your hand over the names of the fallen and look at the figure representing Canadian mothers mourning their loss you can hardly breathe. During my visit, I met a French couple who were visiting the site. This lovely older couple shook my hand and with tears in their eyes thanked me for our sacrifices on those fields - sacrifices made 50 years before I was even born. I spent time in the tunnels under the battlefield where you can see names and hometowns etched into the rock walls. Most of those young med never saw their hometown again. I lifted my head above the trench where the horrific battles were waged and looked eye to eye with someone in the trench on the other side of the battlefield. The small strip of land being fought over where so much blood was spilled is smaller than most backyards - it takes your breath away. After climbing out of the trench I stood in the military cemetery with rows upon rows upon rows of white graves stones as far as you can see, all of them engraved with the maple leaf – it takes your breath away.

I was aware that every breath I took at Vimy was because a young man took his last to fight for the life we have today. I wept through a good deal of my time on that sacred ground but I left there with a better understanding of what it meant to be a proud Canadian. I will make sure that the Toad stands on that ground so he understands too.