Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean
Speech on the Occasion of the 30th Anniversary of MOSAIC
Vancouver, Wednesday, March 8, 2006
I am delighted to be here with you to celebrate MOSAIC’s 30th anniversary on my first official visit to British Columbia.
It is in the spirit of friendship that I speak to you today, because I have faced the same challenges you have faced: adapting to a different culture, finding decent housing and employment. I, too, know what it means to be uprooted. I know the courage it takes to rebuild a life, far from friends and loved ones, from everything familiar. I remember the last day I spent on my native island, Haiti, which had become a prison for my family. I remember our arrival in Montreal on a cold winter’s night. I remember our readiness to start over, safe at last from massacre, torture, injustice. I remember our desire, more powerful than anything else, to start living again, to dream once more.
My mother, sister and I lived for years in a tiny basement apartment in Montreal that had just one and a half rooms. Despite the uncertainty that comes with working odd jobs, my mother held her head high, her pride and dignity never wavering. And so today, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, I would like to salute the courage of so many immigrant women who sometimes raise their families alone. From our first apartment to the first house my mother bought by putting together her savings, we slowly began to put down roots. I became attached to this country, the place where I belong, the land I love.
Is that not the same story of so many immigrants and refugees in Canada? In Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver, the longing for a better future is the same. As are the difficulties. We should not underestimate how daunting the obstacles are that immigrants must overcome. Even their children born in this country may have difficulty fully integrating into society. What about the young people torn between the weight of traditions to which their parents cling and the search for new identities? What about the youth from various backgrounds for whom the future seems almost closed off and the opportunities seem so limited that delinquency is quick to entangle them in its nets? What about those who turn to the streets, turning their backs on school?
To the young people here today, I extend my warmest greetings and cannot begin to tell you how very important it is for you to make your voices heard. I want you to share your realities with me, however troubling they may be. I want you to share your ideas with me, however provocative they may be. I want you to share your dreams for the future with me, however idealistic they may be! Because I firmly believe that the distress and despair felt by too many in our society and, unfortunately, by too many young people are the result of dialogues that never took place and never-launched debates about ideas. I believe the future starts today, and it begins with you.
Every word counts, every action matters. The volunteers and staff at MOSAIC are living proof of this. The members of MOSAIC’s founding agencies shared a common dream: to help immigrants in the Greater Vancouver Area integrate into their host society by providing a complete range of services, from language courses to counselling to job‑search training. Thirty years later, hundreds of employees and volunteers are keeping that dream alive with conviction, passion and dedication.
Think of the number of people you have helped, guided, comforted. Think of the women and men who, because of you, were able to better their circumstances and thrive. Think of all of the families you have counselled, all of the young people you have given new hope. You embody the motto I have chosen as Governor General: Briser les solitudes—“Breaking down solitudes.” This means giving each and every one of us the capacity to utilize our potential in every aspect and to get involved, through our words and actions, in our community. This is what you are doing, day after day.
I encourage each person who has come here in the hope of exploring new possibilities or of starting over to take every opportunity to enliven our society with their unique contribution. Democracy starts from the will to take action where we live and where we choose to put down roots. In other words, in this generous country, where we have the privilege of dreaming big dreams, for the good of our loved ones and the entire community. I believe that this is what true integration really is. Integration is a reciprocal adventure: it is about receiving and giving. It is about rights and responsibilities.
Thank you very much for inviting me here today. Thirty years—quite an achievement! I am eager now to hear your story.
