Kingston, Saturday, October 13, 2012

It is a pleasure to join all of you here this evening.

First, I would like to thank you for this humbling award and to congratulate my fellow recipients here today. Like all alumni, you know that Queen’s University is more than a place to obtain a quality education, more than a place that conducts leading research. It is a home.

I felt that way from the very first time I came to this campus. But even before I came here, I was able to get a good sense of what Queen’s was all about.

This university is a place that supports students and encourages them to find their true calling.

That is why being here again holds so much meaning to me. It was at Queen’s where I began my Canadian law career, which took me not to the courtroom, but to the classroom—at this very school—teaching and forming minds like the professors here did for me.

And to be honoured alongside other graduates and current students means that I can pass on my love of this institution to another generation.

Being alumni is a special privilege. You are all part of a society, one that no matter where you go in the country, you are likely to run into a fellow graduate of Queen’s.

And this place has always had a special bond with its graduates.

The Queen’s University community is unlike any other. It is fully engaged in and committed to Queen’s success. We take pride in giving back to the school that gave so much to us.

In fact, so confident in the generosity of its alumni that Queen’s recently launched an ambitious campaign to support a variety of new initiatives in the coming years. No doubt that Queen’s alumni will take this opportunity to work together to ensure this school grows and evolves in the coming years.

Because that, in essence, is what being an alumnus means: working together towards a common goal, that of a smarter, more caring nation. We hail from across the country and have studied a wide variety of subjects, yet it is in our diversity that we find strength.

If nothing else, that is the message I want to leave with you today. As you continue your studies, as you return home, as you get back to work in your respective fields, remember that many great things are accomplished in a community, not in isolation. Collaborate, co-operate, and we can create a better Canada, together.

I thank Queen’s for all that it has done, not only for me personally and for all of us, but also for this city and this country.

Thank you for this award and thank you for honouring me alongside such fine and talented people.