Toronto, Saturday, April 28, 2007

It is a great honour for me to join you this evening, as we celebrate together the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Harry Jerome Awards.

Over the last three decades, this event has become much more than an award ceremony. It has evolved into a living testimony to the power of solidarity and caring to transform tragedy into an uplifting tribute to the resilience and creativity of the human spirit.

For it was on a cold December night in 1982, that the founders of the Awards learned of the sudden death of one of the greatest athletes our country has ever known: Harry Jerome.

This member of the Order of Canada had won Olympic medals, broken seven international records in track and field, and helped to establish Canada’s first Ministry of Sports.

Besides joining thousands across the country in mourning the loss of this national icon, the Black Business and Professional Association decided to celebrate his outstanding achievements by creating an annual tribute and awards ceremony in his honour.

Through an outpouring of public support, your organization saw the ceremony transformed from a fledgling local event into a major national celebration of excellence and community spirit.

And, your contributions have not gone unnoticed.

Canadians have been touched by your commitment to celebrating excellence.

We have been moved by your dedication to honouring the spirit of community service.

And, we have been stirred by your devotion to highlighting the achievements of youth, many of whom have surmounted incredible obstacles to emerge as outstanding leaders. You should all be proud of your accomplishments!

As governor general of Canada, I believe that your efforts are vital. They remind us of the role each one of us can play in building a stronger and more compassionate society. They also teach us how we can join hands to transform situations of adversity into opportunities for growth, mutual fulfilment and solidarity.

These lessons are particularly important today, as we are confronted with an eroding commitment to the values of altruism and reciprocity. More and more, we are witnessing people being seduced by the “everyone for himself” attitude, or what some would call the “bling bling” mentality.

In its most extreme form, this attitude is feeding on situations of despair and alienation, as criminal groups try to manipulate the vulnerable and disillusioned into their fold.

Many of us are watching with great concern as we hear reports of children, some aged 11 and 12, being dragged into the criminal underworld.

I firmly believe that we are, as I have said many times before, at a juncture, a crossroads of sorts. The challenges and opportunities posed by our evolving society require, more than ever, a spirit of nuance and vigilance, to ensure that no one is left behind.

This means recognizing the human face that lies behind situations of exclusion and marginalization.

This means reconnecting with each other to discover the values we have in common.

This means rediscovering our capacity to forge ties and build partnerships so that we can all work together for the common good.

These are the objectives you have been striving to achieve and I applaud your efforts.

Our ability to thrive as a democratic society is predicated on our resolve to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to flourish.

And, I believe that youth are at the heart of this imperative. More and more, we are seeing young Canadians standing up and saying no to the spirit of indifference and apathy.

In the face of some of the most appalling situations, they are refusing to be the victims of their circumstances.

Instead, young Canadians are stretching out their arms, across the boundaries of ethnicity, gender, race, language and sexual orientation, to build, in their own way, inclusive and creative spaces for dialogue, exchange and collective action, at home and abroad.

Just this afternoon, I spent two hours with one-hundred young urban artists from across Toronto. With the help of the youth program ArtReach, I learned how they are using art as a tool to empower their peers to bring about change throughout the city.

While the youth acknowledged the multiple barriers that they face, they also conveyed their unwavering resolve to defy the odds and establish spaces of peace and understanding in the heart of some of the priority neighbourhoods in Toronto. So impressive!

With very little resources, they are proving to us that our circumstances do not determine our lives. Let me say it again: our circumstances do not determine our lives. Look at you!

For even in the midst of poverty, exclusion and despair, there are dozens of women and men who are doing the impossible to bring about a visible improvement in their lives and in the lives of their communities.

Nonetheless, we cannot ignore the fact that many challenges remain. Alienation, apathy, discrimination, and indifference are still very real.

So, we, the women and men who make up this country, are faced with a paradox of sorts.

On the one hand, we are observing an increased sense of alienation among some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

On the other hand, we are witnessing the emergence of new and exciting community-building initiatives that speak directly to the hearts and minds.

So our challenge here is finding ways to connect these two realities, rekindling that sense of hope, so that all citizens can work together to create a society in which everyone can thrive.

And, I believe that young people have a key role to play in this regard. In fact, they are already doing it!

This is why we must encourage youth in their efforts to build a better world.

We must support them as they chart a new course for their neighbourhoods and communities.

We must pay heed to their dreams, their ideas, and their aspirations.

When I was installed as 27^th governor general of Canada, I vowed to bring this institution closer to young Canadians by helping to ensure that their voices are heard.

This is why I am committed to supporting initiatives that bring Canadian youth together, and that accompany them as they forge new partnerships with their counterparts across the country.

One such initiative is the 2008 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, where many of our country’s greatest leaders will convene to discuss the challenges our country is facing. You will be hearing more about this in the weeks and months to come.

Through your commitment to excellence and community achievement, you are playing a major role in this regard, and I would like to congratulate you and thank you on behalf of all Canadians.

Thank you for inviting me. I am so delighted to be here tonight to celebrate with you Harry Jerome and the awards that bear his name. Congratulations to all the recipients.