Dawson City, Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Jean-Daniel and I are delighted to be with you tonight.

We would like to sincerely thank Commissioner Geraldine van Bibber for hosting this dinner to celebrate my first official visit to Dawson City as Governor General of Canada.

We already know that we will never forget our visit here.

Here in Dawson City—the Klondike capital—I feel as though I have entered a legend.

I cannot help but think of all those who came here in the 1870s looking for gold.

I cannot help but think of the spirit of adventure that drove thousands of people from all over the world to leave their homes in search of golden nuggets. But also of a new beginning ...

I cannot help but think of Jack London, who—completely smitten with freedom and fascinated by the rush to the North—wrote that, “the function of man is to live, not to exist.”

I cannot help but marvel that, at the beginning of the last century, this was the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of San Francisco.

But, as the saying goes, all that glitters is not gold.

So I also cannot help but think of the often brutal repercussions of the gold rush on the First Nations, who saw their environment and lifestyle turned completely upside down by the massive influx of prospectors.

All over this city, you can see traces of this chapter in history, a chapter that captured the collective imagination of the entire country.

But Dawson City is so much more than a legend, and the challenges you are facing today are very real.

So I see this evening as a wonderful opportunity to begin a frank and open dialogue with you, the creative forces of this community.

I consider it a great privilege to be here with you tonight.

Jean-Daniel and I came to learn all about your experiences in this unique corner of our country and planet.

We are listening.

I have every intention of sharing your history and the spirit that lives here everywhere I go, both here in Canada and abroad.

Your spirit of adventure has touched the woman you see before you, a woman who is constantly seeking to expand the already vast horizons of this country.

That spirit brings us together.

That spirit has not only given Dawson City a rich history, but it has made it responsible for its future.

And for me tonight, that future seems as bright as the endless light of the summer solstice.

Thank you again for the warm welcome you have given us.