This Broadcaster is Reflecting on the Uniqueness That Unites Canadians

As with many of the biggest countries in the world, Canada is a nation built on diversity. Unlike some others, however, Canada is also pretty good at acknowledging that fact – something which national public broadcaster CBC does its best to pay tribute to where and when possible.

Knowing that the country has derived great strength from embracing and valuing its peoples’ differences, diverse cultures, and identities that represent what it means to be Canadian, this Canada Day, CBC is taking the opportunity to unify Canadians through story, culture, perspectives, shared values and celebration with its new campaign, ‘Your thing is a Canada thing’.

Building on CBC's ‘It's a Canada Thing’ platform, this new creative leans into the belief that specificity is the gateway to universality. To learn more about this, and how the brand is choosing to celebrate Canada’s birthday this year, LBB’s April Summers touched base with Maya Kane, executive director, marketing and communications at CBC.

LBB> Why did Canada Day feel like the right moment to focus on the personal and hyper-local aspects of identity?

Maya> In this time of renewed national pride, CBC surveyed Canadians to find out what is most important to them right now. Our audience research showed that Canadians are looking for new ways to celebrate their own culture and identity, and the majority of those we surveyed expressed a desire to think about Canada Day as a moment to come together, reflect, and focus on what they value about living in Canada.

We took inspiration from those sentiments to meet the moment on Canada’s birthday, to showcase the unique role CBC plays in bringing audiences across the country together. We invite Canadians to share what they consider to be their ‘Canada things’, and what makes our country so unique and special.

LBB> There’s a beautiful duality in this campaign which feels both intimate and collective. What conversations or insights shaped the decision to celebrate these individual ‘Canada things’ as a form of national unity?

Maya> We really leaned into the idea that specificity is the gateway to universality. We know that the more personal and unique something is, the more it resonates on a broader level. Our campaign was shaped by conversations within our creative team, which is a diverse group of first-generation Canadians, newcomers, and even fifth-generation Canadians. Everyone has a distinct relationship with Canada and what this place means to us, so in sharing our own Canada ‘things’, we found ways to connect over our differences. That became our foundation. And because CBC has teams across the entire country, we tapped into that national reach, consulting with and gathering inspiration from colleagues across the country, including CBC/Radio-Canada’s Indigenous Office.

We ended up creating something that feels both personal and widely shared – a mosaic of stories that reflect a collective identity through individual experience.

LBB> Visually, the campaign leans into playful illustration to reflect Canada’s cultural and regional diversity. How did you collaborate with Mad Love Creative Co. to land on that aesthetic? And what role did visual storytelling play in reinforcing the message?

Maya> We discovered Mad Love Creative Co. at a marketplace celebrating Asian Heritage Month hosted at CBC in Toronto by our Asian Alliance employee resource group. We were instantly drawn to Carmen Jabier’s beautiful, fun, and expressive work. With a very tight timeline, our creative team worked closely with Carmen to create over 50 original illustrations.

Our goal was to create custom iconography that would not only be eye-catching and playful, but also felt true to our brand. Visual storytelling was essential to this campaign, as it wove together the idea of a cultural and regional mosaic that is grounded in warmth, inclusion, and personal expression.

LBB> The song 'Fireworks' by The Tragically Hip is used for this campaign. This song carries a deep emotional resonance to people from the Great White North! What led to the choice of this track, and how did it help shape the tone of the creative?

Maya> Candidly, using ‘Fireworks’ for a Canada Day spot almost felt too obvious, but it just worked. It was one of those serendipitous choices where the tone, energy, and emotional pull of the song lined up perfectly with what we were building. It’s fun, upbeat, and carries that perfect blend of nostalgia and sentimentality. It’s true Canadiana.

Plus, the final lyrics, “Oh, this one thing probably never goes away… this one thing is always supposed to stay”, felt especially meaningful. It echoed the heart of the campaign: that whatever your Canada ‘thing’ is, it belongs here.

LBB> Beyond the brand film, there’s mention of social and in-person activations. How did you extend the core idea into those touchpoints, and what impact do you hope it has in terms of engagement and community connection?

Maya> We’re using the CBC social accounts on Instagram and TikTok to feature the broadcaster’s hosts, storytellers, performers and influencers across the country answering the question, ‘What’s your Canada thing?’. It offers them a chance to share a moment, memory, tradition, or feeling that reflects their connection to this place. These stories will roll out on social with the hashtag ‘#ItsACanadaThing’, inviting audiences to join the conversation and share what Canada means to them.

We’re also extending that invitation to real-life experiences across the country. For instance we’re hosting in-person activations to engage Canadians in four locations on July 1st, kicking off the It’s a Canada Thing Summer Tour. At The Forks in Winnipeg, Wascana Park in Regina, Chinguacousy Park in Brampton, and the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax, Canadians are invited to share what living in this country means to them, test their knowledge of ‘Canada Things’, and win fun CBC prizes. The activation kiosks, provided by Steel Space Concepts, are branded with the same colourful CBC Canada Day iconography to help tie it back to the overall campaign and message. We will be bringing the kiosks to other festivals and events across the country throughout the summer.

LBB> Finally, what are you most proud of about working on this campaign? And what sort of reaction are you hoping for?

Maya> We’re proud of how so many teams across CBC have come together to create these moments of connection surrounding Canada Day, and hope Canadians share with us how they’re celebrating on July 1st. For generations, CBC has always been here for Canada, as the country’s storyteller. That’s a privilege we never take for granted. CBC is woven into the very fabric of our lives, our culture, and the moments that matter most, whoever you are, whatever background you’re from, whatever history you have lived. And right now, being here for Canada – for all Canadians – has never been more important. That’s why we want everyone across this country to see CBC as their thing… as a Canada thing.

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