July 26, 2007

by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean      

It was almost like a dream, an intense visit packed with meetings that we will remember always. Brazil is obviously reaching a turning point, not only on the economic front and with regard to its place in the global market, but also on the human front. People have started talking and are addressing issues that were previously considered too sensitive. In Salvador, we held a screening of the films Tropic North (by Jean-Daniel Lafond) and Black Soul (by Martine Chartrand), and the debate afterwards on racism, discrimination and integration problems in Canada struck a chord with the Brazilian people. Both films and the discussion were broadcast on Brazil’s national television network. We were excited by the idea that we could get behind common challenges. Just like Canada, Brazil is a diverse country with people from all over the world; a country in which it is important to define values that unite the people, to learn to live together despite our differences, and to try to change people’s mentalities and prejudices. A number of journalists asked me how it could be that the Governor General of Canada, the de facto Head of State, was not Canadian by birth? I think it showed them that Canada was incredibly open and had a wonderful sense of citizenship.

At the university in Bahia, we had a very interesting discussion with members of the Brazilian Association of Canadian Studies and a number of students. The fight against social exclusion was a topic of discussion in every community we visited and in all our meetings, including my meetings with President Lula and with various state governors and city mayors. In a country where inequalities are feared and the gaps are enormous, more and more Brazilians are realizing that human development must be a priority. For the first time in Brazil’s history, they have a president who wants to fight racism, endemic poverty and hunger, and promote access to education for all. Nothing is simple; in poor, densely populated neighbourhoods—which sometimes house 200,000 people or more and are under the control of criminal organizations that recruit their armies from among the poorest ranks—violence is rampant, confrontations with controlling forces are brutal, and the number one cause of death among young people is by gunshot. The civil society associations that work in these neighbourhoods have remarkable courage. There are also ingenious in their efforts to involve young people, get them to take action, and include their own solutions and perspectives as a means of keeping them away from the mafia, and giving them confidence and reasons to hope. Those who are aware and speak out always do so unconditionally and are the most committed to social issues. They say and discuss everything with drive.

São Paulo is an enormous economic capital that has almost as many people as all of Canada; it is a stunning metropolis, a forest of skyscrapers, and a tightly packed maze of bridges, streets, tunnels and overpasses. In the speech I gave to the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce, whose members include the presidents of major companies, bankers and investors, I tried to show the link between investments, business and social responsibility. Many people told me about their citizen initiatives (scholarships, mentoring programs, social housing, the environment, etc.). A country cannot prosper without a vision for sustainable development. It is essential that we make our concerns, decisions and actions more humane.

In São Paulo, we also held our very first Art Matters forum abroad. We had a three-hour discussion with about thirty artists, academics and administrators from the cultural community, both Brazilian and Canadian, regarding creation and new technologies. Globalization is not just about trade: it is about joint initiatives created by meeting with people, sharing of ideas and forging solidarities. Speaking of transcontinental solidarity, Brazil and Canada are proud of their co-operation in Haiti through MINUSTAH and all the progress that has been made. Trilateral Canada-Brazil-Haiti agreements are key and the results on the ground in terms of security, health and reconstruction have been substantial.

I would like to thank the delegates for their energy and enthusiasm and the incredible job they did to make this visit to Brazil an opportunity to begin discussions and actions that we will continue together.