Rideau Hall, Wednesday, April 18, 2007

My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I both believe that the true strength of a country lies in its citizens’ willingness to help one another.

Those of you we are honouring today are proof positive of that.

When you alleviate distress or lend a helping hand, you deepen our sense of humanity.

Your actions remind us that we all have the power to change the course of someone’s life and improve the world around us.

It is my firm belief that actions such as yours forge the bonds of fellowship in our neighbourhoods, our communities, our cities, across our country and around the world.

I like to think that openness to the world begins with an openness to the realities around you.

In this way, each and every one of us can—and must—reinvent life and give it a more personal dimension.

In this age of multiplying solitudes—when we have to be very mindful of the “everyone for himself” attitude—we must rekindle hope on a daily basis and fight the feeling of helplessness that leads to indifference and despair.

As governor general, I have the good fortune of travelling across this great country of ours and meeting many women and men who are deeply committed to their communities; I have seen these strengths in action, strengths that—I believe from the bottom of my heart—are the greatest hope for the future.

The fourteen people receiving the Caring Canadian Award today are living examples of these strengths and they embody that hope.

It gives me—and all of us—great pleasure to honour them.

To Laila Adassi of Ottawa, who spares no expense to promote numerous local and national charities, thank you.

To Christine Easton of Kanata, whose famous banana breads raise incredible amounts of money for the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club, thank you.

To Elaine Garkinkel of Gloucester, whose remarkable initiative helps so many children and their families, thank you.

To Maria Giacomodonato of the Town of Mount Royal, who gives hope and encouragement to children with learning disabilities, thank you.

To Louis Paul Jeffries of Gananoque, who was passionate about providing a pleasant and stimulating environment for young people, thank you.

To Germaine Lalonde of Alexandria, who provides help and support to cancer patients in her community, thank you.

To Jean-Pierre Lapointe of Montreal, who is dedicated to helping people who have had ostomy surgery in Canada and in developing countries, thank you.

To Richard Lemire of Île-Bizard, who works tirelessly for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and who was himself diagnosed with the disease 20 years ago, thank you.

To Carol Ann Namur of Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, who, in 1975, co-founded the Sauvetage Canada Rescue volunteer group, thank you.

To Taleeb Farouk Noormohamed of Vancouver, for his unwavering commitment to troubled young people and making the public aware of leukemia research, thank you.

To Sister Rolande Robidoux of Maniwaki, for her volunteer work with the less fortunate over the past 50 years, thank you.

To Bill Robinson of Kanata, for his deep commitment to young people, thank you.

To Hélène Wallingford Panalaks of Gatineau, who has devoted herself to aiding people in distress, thank you.

To Kathryn Windle of Renfrew, who supports a number of organizations in her community and abroad thanks to her sense of responsibility and her singing talent, thank you.

I want you to know that you are incredible examples of commitment for all of us and for future generations, who are following in your footsteps and just as eagerly looking for ways to express their willingness to share.

Thank you to each and every one of you for showing us so eloquently that our hearts should be as big and boundless as Canada itself!