Canoeing on McKay Lake in Ottawa: As with many Canadians, my bond with nature is powerful.

By Thomas d’Aquino

August 8, 2025

In the opening lines of my recent memoir, Private Power Public Purpose: Adventures in Business, Politics and the Arts,  I tell the story of my father, Cateno d’Aquino, standing on the ramparts of a town in Eastern Sicily, gazing at the Tyrrhenian Sea and shouting the word “basta!” — “enough!”.

It was the early 1920s, and the Italy he loved had fallen into chaos with communist and fascist factions engaging in violent conflict in the streets. The National Fascist Party, led by Benito Mussolini, had taken power and the road to dictatorship had begun. Leaving family, friends and his career as a Carabinieri behind, my father emigrated to Canada. That was 101 years ago.

My father often spoke of how painful that decision was, but he was determined to raise a family in a land where the principles of “peace, order and good government” reigned. He and my dear mother, Anni, gave me life. To my great fortune, they also gave me Canada.

My father and mother, Cateno and Anni d’Aquino.

Throughout my early years at school, my father constantly reminded me of the importance of democracy, often pointing to the massively tragic consequences for the world of Italian, German, Japanese and Soviet authoritarianism. Democracy was not abstract for Cateno d’Aquino; it was essential to his dreams.

As I reflect on what it means to be Canadian, my mind turns instinctively to our vast geography — a geography that I have come to know through my extensive travels to all the regions of our federation. As with many Canadians, my bond with our landscape and nature is powerful, made all the more so by the distinct seasons that shape our lives here.

Connecting with the land, lakes, rivers and oceans is a constant ritual of discovery, renewal and celebration — whether kayaking in the Pacific, hiking in the Rockies, skiing in the Eastern Townships, flyfishing in northern Labrador, walking the shores of Fogo Island in Newfoundland or immersed in the exquisite, living kaleidoscope of our Ottawa garden.

With former Governor General David Johnston and future Prime Minister Mark Carney at a National Gallery of Canada gala I hosted in 2011.

But as vast as Canada’s geography is, it comes alive through people and communities. It says a great deal about who we are that I feel equally at home in Vancouver and Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal; that I feel a strong attachment to artists, museums and cultural institutions in each of those cities and beyond; that I’m in touch with creators, entrepreneurs and business leaders who are building things across this land; that my wife, Susan, and I have been blessed with a life defined by relationships across this country that reflect our deepest values.

If geography, nature and relationships help define my Canada, so does our history: the staggering exploits of the early European explorers, who with the help of Indigenous Peoples conquered the impossible; the visionary political leaders who created a grand federation bound by three oceans; the stunning contributions of our men and women in our armed forces in two World Wars; the success with which Canada has welcomed newcomers from all parts of the world.

All this has fired my pride in Canada and my commitment throughout my adult life to do what I can to make Canada the best country in the world in which to live, work and grow. It has also fuelled my gratitude for what Canada has given me.

With my wife, Susan Peterson: A life defined by relationships.

A few words that I carry in my wallet like a secular prayer capture what I mean: “O Canada, accept my gratitude for what you offer me. A country built on the sweat and sacrifices of the generations that came before me. A great nation, envy of the world, the True North Strong and Free! Give me the strength to contribute in some small way.”

Indeed, Canada is a great nation, but we must spare no effort to make it better. As I reflect on all of Canada’s strengths and advantages, I return over and over again to the huge gift that is Canadian democracy. The experience of my father, who fled fascism and dictatorship, has never left me.

I believe that my intense interest in public policy, in the politics of federalism and in my study of the law derive in part from his influence. The connection is inescapable when I think about my writings on parliamentary democracy, and on my engagement in the great constitutional debates about Canada’s future — often representing Canadian enterprise, always defending Canadian values in the process.

The duty to protect and celebrate Canadian democracy has never been more urgent as we witness the disturbing assault on American democracy and the threats posed by the escalating impact on our lives of artificial intelligence. Both trends portend a retreat from postwar humanism, and an amnesia about the fascism my father fled a century ago to find freedom.

Policy Contributing Writer Thomas d’Aquino is an entrepreneur, corporate director, author, philanthropist and a member of the Order of Canada. He is the Founding CEO of the Business Council of Canada, Chairman of Thomas d’Aquino Capital and author of the national best-selling Private Power Public Purpose: Adventures in Business, Politics and the Arts.