Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean
Speech on the Occasion of a Civic Call to the City of Victoria and Presentation of the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award
Victoria, Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Thank you for welcoming me here to City Hall, a place of gathering, dialogue and debate for the citizens of Victoria. I could not have chosen a better time or place to embark upon my first official visit to British Columbia. Spring is in the air, the trees in bloom, filling the air with their sweet fragrance. It is easy to see why Victoria is renowned as Canada’s Garden City.
My stay in Victoria has been brief, but I am getting to know you. You are growing as a city but have maintained your unique character. Your public spaces, streets and your neighbourhoods have a human touch.
That human touch is what I am striving for as Governor General. More than anything, I want to meet with Canadians so that together, we may begin a constructive, inclusive dialogue. I want to visit with you in your towns, your villages, your community centres, your organizations, your institutions, your families. When I was installed as Governor General, I made it a priority to visit every Canadian province and territory during the first year of my mandate. This trip is a reflection of my desire to meet with my fellow Canadians to promote solidarity among all of the citizens who make up the Canada of today.
The motto I have chosen is Briser les solitudes, which means “breaking down solitudes.” It represents the Canada that I want for generations to come. By solitudes, I mean those that confine certain people, or certain segments of the population, because of their age, race, origins, language, beliefs, sex or ability.
I believe that the narrow notion of “every man for himself,” which excludes so many and drives them to despair, does not belong in a country where the values of respect, sharing and tolerance prevail. As Governor General of Canada, I will seize every opportunity to give a voice to those seldom heard: young people, the excluded, the marginalized, the voiceless.
During this trip, I will be listening. For example, on International Women’s Day, I will be celebrating with the women of this province all that has been accomplished and discussing what must yet be done to achieve full equality. I will be listening to young immigrants as they tell me of their journey, their concerns, and their dreams for the future.
I will also have the opportunity to share with them some of my own experiences and to meet with the staff and volunteers of MOSAIC who, for 30 years, have been working to facilitate their integration. I will be speaking with Aboriginal youth who want to start up their own businesses in the hope of improving the social and economic conditions of their people. Those young people are agents for change in their communities.
Throughout this vast country, women and men, young and old have the courage to dream big dreams and the determination to act for the greater good. Against violence, against indifference, against exclusion. For mutual respect, for dialogue, for equal opportunity. Together, their actions give strength to us all.
With us are two of these extraordinary people who work behind the scenes to make our society better, more just and more humane. The work that you do is priceless, and it is an honour and a privilege for me to pay tribute to you today.
To Shelagh Wynn Gourlay, of Cedar, a community builder who was instrumental in helping to create and establish a number of front‑line service organizations in her community, I thank you.
To Garth Harvey, of Mill Bay, another community builder lending support to groups and families through a community assistance organization, I thank you.
You are the glimmer of hope that saves so many people from sinking into solitude and helplessness. You have touched lives, each in your own way. Without expecting anything in return, you have given a part of yourselves to others and have been enriched by a new experience. You are models of sharing and openness, and you inspire those around you and the coming generation to follow in your footsteps.
On behalf of the people of Canada, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring about your fellow citizens and for contributing to the betterment of us all.
I have begun to meet with you, the citizens of this city, this region, this province, and I look forward to continuing the dialogue that I consider to be the founding principle of this country.
Thank you.
