Ottawa, Friday, November 16, 2012

It is a pleasure to congratulate the Royal Society of Canada on the occasion of this milestone anniversary.

It was my predecessor, Lord Lorne, who first proposed the establishment of this society, fondly referring to it as one of his “Canadian children.” Lorne saw the Royal Society as part of a renaissance in the arts and sciences in the Canada of the 1880’s, and in many ways I think we can say something similar today.

As you know, these are exciting, challenging times for Canada and indeed for the whole world. As former Privy Council clerk Kevin Lynch recently put it, “You know the times, they are a-changing, when the world’s tallest building is in Dubai, the world’s largest shopping mall in Beijing, the world’s largest movie industry in Bollywood, the world’s largest traded company is Chinese, and the world’s richest man is Mexican.”

Quite simply, we have arrived at a major hinge point in our history. Our context is global, and yet the importance of fostering diverse and innovative communities of learning cannot be overstated.

This brings me back to the Royal Society of Canada, which is likewise undergoing a period of reinvention and renewal. And let me commend you on the many inspiring initiatives currently underway, including your new mentorship program with First Nations youth and the plan to establish a College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Your new focus on fostering youth and emerging talent is so important. I also think Lord Lorne would have approved, having been—at age 33—the youngest-ever governor general of Canada!  

The renewal of the Royal Society of Canada is cause for celebration, because the relevance of bringing together Canada’s leaders in the arts, humanities and natural and social sciences has only grown with the passage of time.

For two main reasons, it is essential that we work together and become familiar with one another’s interdisciplinary languages.

Firstly, the complex, interrelated challenges of the 21st century cannot be solved in isolation, and collaboration is the key to discovery. Most of the tough problems require this approach. The mapping of the human genome, for example, was made possible by the dynamic interaction of medicine and computer science—one of many new disciplinary hybrids in our world.

Secondly, we must always remember that each advance in our learning has a ripple effect on our culture and society. The explosion of knowledge in our time requires a parallel expansion in our ability to think critically and imaginatively, and we must communicate the significance of our discoveries widely.

By providing a forum for the meeting of minds, the Royal Society of Canada is making an invaluable contribution to the building of a smarter, more caring nation. In a sense, the Royal Society functions like a surveyor’s transit, used to triangulate distances by measuring both horizontal and vertical angles—which is to say, you help us to see things whole.

Allow me to suggest another metaphor: that of a library, with books on every subject gathered under one roof.

With this image in mind, I am pleased to formally announce the creation of a new library at your headquarters here in Ottawa. And I am equally delighted to announce that this new reading room, with the support and encouragement of his many friends, colleagues and loved ones, is to be named in honour of Rod Macdonald.

As the drawings indicate, the Macdonald Reading Room will be a wonderful addition to Walter House. And, as a longtime friend and former colleague of Rod’s in the Faculty of Law at McGill, I cannot imagine a more appropriate tribute to a man who has given so much to learning, to the law, and to the renewal of the Royal Society of Canada.

I can already imagine Rod engrossed in a book in the Macdonald Reading Room, and I look forward to visiting in future.

Once again, as patron of the Royal Society of Canada, I offer my thanks for your dedication to excellence and my congratulations on this milestone anniversary.

Allow me to propose a toast to your continued success. To the Royal Society of Canada!

Thank you.