Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean
Remarks on the Occasion of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala
Ottawa, Saturday, November 4, 2006
What is the purpose of this gala?
Why have we gathered here this evening?
Why should we celebrate artists?
Why?
Because the arts have a vital role to play.
Because years of study and hard work deserve to be recognized.
Because the arts and artists enrich our lives, particularly when they make us question what we have long held to be true. Thank goodness for that.
My friends, the arts remind us, discretely but undeniably, that beauty will always triumph over pain, foolishness, and barbarism.
It certainly bears repeating: a society that does not encourage its artists to thrive, or that has no interest in facilitating the dialogue between its artists and the broader community, is doomed to boredom and ultimately, to ruin.
Let us never forget that.
Tonight, we mark the fifteenth anniversary of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. Please join me in celebrating the determination, perseverance and inspiration of these artists and passionate individuals.
And let us celebrate also all those who believe in the power of creativity and the urgent need to preserve beauty in this world.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
