Rideau Hall, Wednesday, October 18, 2006

You know, this award is particularly important to me and to all women determined to build a more equal, more just society. Not just because it gives us the opportunity to celebrate the work of extraordinary women.

But perhaps more importantly because it serves as a reminder to young women that the rights they may be taking for granted are relatively new in the grand scheme of things and are therefore quite fragile.

Don’t forget, ladies and gentlemen, that the rights of our mothers and grandmothers were hardly the same and that we owe our freedom of action to the women who came just before us.

Consider the right to be appointed to the Senate, the right to participate in the economic process, the right to think in public forums, or the right to be protected against oppression and violence. We’re not going back centuries here; at most, a generation or two.

These rights are part of our core values in this country. They are so much a part of our collective wealth, envied around the world.

In my previous life, I spent many years asserting and yes, defending these rights. And today, a little over one year into my mandate as governor general, I remain as determined as ever.

Even if it sometimes means broaching such difficult subjects as domestic violence, as I willingly did on International Women’s Day. I have always thought speaking out to be preferable to remaining silent, sharing infinitely more nourishing than the solitude of a secret, so isolating and insidious.

The women we are honouring today have each made their own contribution to promoting equality in Canada. Be it in such vital areas as community economic development, career progression, management, knowledge sharing, legislative reform or the fight against violence, through their actions, they are celebrating what I would call the female genius.

They paved the way for the young women following in our footsteps. And they represent that spark of hope for so many women around the world. Women whose rights are abused every day. Women who need support as they risk their very lives to make their voices heard. Women whose futures carry little weight in the balance of power.

I am also delighted by the award given annually to a young woman because, as I have often said over the past year, more than just our future, youth are our present. As I travelled this vast country, I was so impressed by the engagement of young people, by their eagerness to find new and promising approaches, their willingness to share—to shout out—their hope for a better world. They have a profound desire to change things for the better. It is in this spirit that we will honour this year’s youth award winner.

Women have always understood how precious life is. My mother, who is currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, continues to remind me of this in her own way, even as her memory—once so sharp—fades away. Women have always played a pivotal role in pacifying the tensions that grip certain regions of the world, in protecting those most in need and our environment. Remember, they were branded as witches and burned at the stake simply because others envied their knowledge and straightforward manner.

Of course, we’ve made major strides since then. But there are still too many women who are silenced, exploited, murdered. Let’s not pretend otherwise. The way that women are still being treated in certain countries cries out for vigilance and solidarity.

I recently had the opportunity to take in an exhibit that left me speechless. It featured the work of female Afghan photographers who had captured images of their countrywomen engaged in acts of resistance; women who for too long have been reduced to silence and are now using whatever means available to create forums in which to be heard by setting up radio stations or speaking out on television. These women are journalists, videographers, photographers, and filmmakers.

Some of them are not even 20 years old and yet have made the decision to take control of their own destinies. In a country where 60% of the population is female, they are the future.

This powerful exhibit of photographs of Afghan women will be presented soon at Carleton University and was made possible thanks to the wonderful initiative of Madame Samad, spouse of the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. We have the pleasure of having Madame Samad with us today.

I said it last year during this ceremony, and it bears repeating today: Even in a country as progressive as Canada, known for its commitment to human rights and freedom, women must continue to fight to preserve what they have accomplished, to demand respect for their physical and psychological integrity, to better their circumstances, and to achieve equality.

I believe in the power of action. From one end of this country to the other, I have seen women, men and youth making tremendous efforts to stand up to violence against women in all its forms, to knock down barriers to equality, to build a world where respect is valued above all else.

The words and actions, the drive and determination I was privileged to witness are the greatest tribute we can pay you, the recipients of the 2006 Governor General’s Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case. Because they support and are an extension of your desire for justice.

There is nothing like the stubbornness of a woman. That’s something else my mother taught me, something I’m trying to teach my own daughter. Particularly when it comes to ridding our lives of such unhealthy concepts as discrimination and misogyny. Ladies, your own brand of stubbornness is commendable and an example for the rest of us.

Joyce M. Hancock, Maureen Kempston Darkes, Doreen McKenzie-Sanders, Jan Reimer, Charlotte Thibault, Seema Shah, you are role models for us all, for the women and men who will follow in your footsteps, for so many women and men the world over who, thanks to your example, remain determined to move forward.

On behalf of all Canadians, I embrace you and thank you from the bottom of my heart.