The Citizen’s Evelyn Harford was out in the capital during Canada Day evening, asking: What does it mean to be Canadian?

Here’s a sampling of the answers she received:

To be friendly; (Canadians) definitely meet the stereotype. I’ve never met a more polite country in my life. — ALISON HAMILTON, 31, an Irish resident who’s been living in Canada for five years with 39-year-old partner Eoghan Cowley. Canada is more multicultural than China. There are so many different communities that make up Canada. Every Canadian comes from a different cultural background. This phenomenon helps when you’re a new immigrant. — CHINESE IMMIGRANT YUAN YANG, 35 Equality, freedom of speech, freedoms of religion. When I think of the world, those are things that come to mind when I think of Canada. — OTTAWA RESIDENT ANDREW WILLS, 30 To be Canadian is to feel compassionate for others. — SOPHIA ROBINO, a 50-year-old Ottawa resident Being Canadian means you appreciate everything you have. We travel a lot and know how lucky we are. PAT AND DAVID WATSON