Edmonton, Thursday, May 4, 2006

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a great pleasure for my husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and me, and also for our daughter Marie-Éden, to begin here in Edmonton our first official visit to Alberta. We may be a bit early for the wild roses, but the warmth of your hospitality is like the embrace of your famous Alberta Chinooks.

Last night, Jean-Daniel and I enjoyed an outstanding jazz concert at Canada’s oldest jazz club, the internationally renowned Yardbird Suite. This morning, Jean-Daniel shared some meaningful time with francophone community leaders and students at the Campus St. Jean of the University of Alberta. And also this morning, I was deeply moved and terribly pleased to have spent time with some of Canada’s wounded soldiers and their families at CFB Edmonton to learn more about the Military Family Resource Centre and the challenges facing military families on a daily basis. My thoughts are with the family and friends of Corporal Randy Payne, who gathered yesterday in Wainwright, Alberta for a memorial service; as well as the family of Bombardier Myles Mansell, whose funeral was held yesterday in Victoria. And on Sunday, my thoughts will be with Lieutenant Bill Turner and his family and friends as they celebrate his life at a memorial service in Edmonton.

Clearly, it is not only Alberta’s breathtaking scenery and great economic prosperity that is attracting new citizens here.

This province has long been seen as a mecca of opportunity. For over a century, hard-working, and independently minded people have been coming here to make a better life for themselves and their families.

I know, for example, that French‑Canadian voyageurs made the arduous trek to your lands in search of fur during the 1700s. By marrying Cree women and establishing Métis communities they began a long tradition of linguistic and cultural diversity that persists today.

And then came the gold rush and construction of the railway, representing the next wave of migration. And following the 1947 discovery of oil, your population doubled.

In pursuing their dreams, each new generation of ambitious pioneers has enriched Alberta itself. In just 100 years, you have together achieved a level of prosperity that is the envy of the country.

Who would have predicted, a century ago, the thriving communities of this province? Did observers in 1905 envision a rich economy based on agriculture, energy, tourism and world famous Alberta beef?

They say that journalists write the first version of history. And it’s interesting to review what they had to say a century ago on the occasion of your entry into Canada.

I was very interested to learn that The Globe, for one, was suitably impressed by Alberta. Reporting on the events and ceremonies of September 1905, its representative observed, “An easterner cannot come west without learning that here they never do things by halves.”

Similarly, Montreal’s French language daily, La Presse, reported: “With its immense natural resources, its intelligent and active population, one can predict that the new province is called to play a significant role in Canada’s future.”

The pioneer spirit of independence and resourcefulness in this province is legendary. And yet your deserved reputation for fierce individualism and economic self-reliance belies another lesser-known aspect of Alberta’s character: your people are among the most generous of Canadians. 85% of you make financial contributions to charitable and non-profit organizations. Combined with those who volunteer their time, 94% of your citizens believe in giving back.

Alberta’s tremendous prosperity affords you the opportunity to make the most of this attitude of sharing. Surely a prime benefit to be derived from such communal wealth is the ability it gives us: to ensure that no one is left behind, and that each among us has a voice.

The health and prosperity of every society is compromised by the people within it who suffer from poverty, who are disadvantaged by birth, who fight against discrimination of all kinds.

I have pledged to use my office to focus attention on the importance of breaking down solitudes—the myriad differences that continue to separate us: those imposed by geography and age, by gender and ethnicity, by language and religion, by poverty and ignorance.

By working together, we can eliminate the barriers that prevent aboriginal people from reaching their potential and contributing to society. By recognizing the strength that comes from linguistic and cultural diversity, we can enrich our entire society. And by collaborating, we can find meaningful solutions to the social alienation that drives some young people to isolation and despair.

The marginalization of any human being is a loss to us all. And nothing in our affluent society is more disgraceful than our failure to nurture and support those who are most vulnerable. Children and youth represent not only our future, but also our present. We have a profound duty to them, not only to pass on a better world, but also to ensure they have the capacity to embrace it and each other with respect and responsibility.

This, too, is part of our collective dream and an achievement that has eluded many societies. Close to realizing it in so many ways, we cannot afford to take it for granted, or to assume that it is someone else’s task.

Every one of us, with every action we take and every attitude we express, has an opportunity to foster respect, promote dialogue, nurture co-operation. To ensure that all citizens have the opportunity to fully participate in building our society.

It is especially fitting to reflect on the importance of these values here in the chamber that was home to the first female legislators in the British Empire. Between them, Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdam exemplified such values. They championed initiatives and supported legislation to help widows, immigrants, people with disabilities, soldiers and their families.

Here in this House, at a time of unprecedented prosperity in your province, you have a golden opportunity to continue this tradition. Your capacity to make a difference in the lives of others through your actions and decisions is limitless.

I look forward to hearing of your plans, and to continuing the conversation we start this week. It will be but the first chapter in our ongoing dialogue. I know that you and the people of Alberta you represent have important matters to discuss, inspiring stories to share, and valuable lessons to teach me.

I am here to listen. Thank you.