Rideau Hall, Monday, May 28, 2007

The democratic health of a country depends in large part on the vitality of its parliament.

And, I believe, that vitality is only possible with women and men who are committed to working tirelessly to improve the living conditions of not only their fellow Canadians, but also of people in other parts of the world, and of future generations.

Women and men who proudly defend the values of equality, justice and freedom, which—as I said in my installation speech—are our society’s greatest treasures.

Whether you sat in the Senate or in the House of Commons, your civic engagement is an inspiration to all Canadians and represents hope in many parts of the world.

And as members of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, I know that in many ways and on many occasions you continue to strengthen our democratic institutions, at home and abroad.

On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to thank you. Thank you for the work you did for the people of this country and thank you for the work that you continue to do with an extraordinary sense of public duty.

Welcome back to Rideau Hall. I am thrilled to have you here to celebrate your accomplishments and to start a dialogue that I hope will continue throughout my mandate.

Thank you all very much.