London, Ontario, Thursday, May 9, 2013

Thank you, Ian, for your kind introduction. And thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your very warm welcome.

I’ve anticipated coming to London for today’s luncheon. My family and I spent five wonderful years in the Forest City while I served as dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario. My wife, Sharon, and I and our daughters made many lifelong friends and enjoy countless lasting memories of our time here. And our fifth daughter was born here.

As patron of Community Foundations of Canada, I’m thrilled to have a chance to speak with so many prominent Londoners and do so as a result of the inspiring influence of the London Community Foundation.

Your city’s community foundation is a vital and critical force in our effort as Canadians to make our country a smarter, more caring place in which to live, work and raise our families.

As some of you know, on the day of my installation as governor general two and a half years ago, I made clear that I consider my time at this post a call to service, and that Sharon and I intend to answer that call by bringing Canadians of all backgrounds and ages together to create a smart and caring nation.

That special kind of country is one that takes action in three ways: it champions children and families, nurtures learning and innovation, and rallies citizens to be volunteers and philanthropists.

Sharon and I have spent the past 31 months travelling to dozens of communities large and small across Canada, encouraging citizens to make the characteristics of smart and caring increasingly real and illuminating in their neighbourhoods, towns and cities.

I thank Community Foundations of Canada for their hard work in bringing this message into the hearts and minds of people across our vast and diverse land to create keener minds and kinder hearts. Through their Smart and Caring Communities initiative, Community Foundations of Canada has set out to achieve two goals.

First, to have every city in our country served by a foundation in time to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017. And second, to set up a network of Smart and Caring Community Funds within community foundations across Canada to enable these foundations to focus sharply on specific actions that make our hometowns smarter and more caring.

I’m thrilled to learn that at last count, 30 such funds are up and running, and that London is one of them. You’re doing so through your community fund, more than 200 endowment funds, and specific smart and caring programs such as your youth in philanthropy initiative.

Philanthropy is changing quickly, and we have an exciting opportunity now to nurture a new generation of philanthropists in communities throughout our country.

We in Canada have enjoyed uncommon success in creating and strengthening political and economic institutions that are inclusive. Countries such as ours have thrived because our institutions encourage the great mass of people to participate in activities that enable them to make the choices they wish and put their talents and skills to best use.

Our country’s inclusiveness enables us to experience true freedom and enjoy lives that are rewarding, fulfilling and meaningful. Conversely, countries fail when their political and economic institutions are extractive, concentrating power and opportunity in the hands of only a few.

Philanthropy in Canada is an essential expression of our country’s inclusiveness. Throughout our history, we Canadians have been free to make the most of our lives through learning and hard work and sacrifice. At the same time, we’re encouraged to use our successes to ensure others profit from the same opportunities we’ve enjoyed. By tying together economic opportunity and equality of opportunity, philanthropy has served and continues to serve as a bulwark of the Canadian way of life.

Philanthropy also has a replenishing and revitalizing effect. As Zoltan Acs writes in Why Philanthropy Matters, philanthropy dismantles the accumulated wealth tied to the past and uses it to lay the groundwork for new cycles of learning, innovation and enterprise today and into the future.

Another special aspect of philanthropy is that it places some onus on beneficiaries to give something of themselves—their time, energy and dedication—in response to the help they have received. In this way, philanthropy is different from charity, which requires no such reciprocal relationship.

While its special bedrock characteristics remain constant, philanthropy as it is practised daily in Canada is changing in several key ways.

It is becoming more about time and talent, and not merely treasure. Money remains and will surely always remain a vitally important component of philanthropy. Yet people are increasingly incorporating their knowledge, skills and personal commitment into their giving.

I welcome this evolution for many reasons.

We must think beyond money alone if we want philanthropy to become a part of the lives of all Canadians. Let’s promote the value of time and talent to graft giving into the DNA of every citizen.

We must tap into the finest qualities of our people and our country. Let’s incorporate best practices of business, employ the latest technological advances and empower and inspire diverse groups of people—especially new Canadians—to enrich lives throughout our nation.

We must take advantage of time and talent to get our children involved in philanthropy and instill in them an understanding of its valuable place in our country. We should recognize that inspiring young people to give generates even greater returns than handing out lifetime achievement awards.

We must bring people from disparate places together to improve and accelerate our philanthropic efforts. Let’s unleash the power of something I call the diplomacy of knowledge by working across international borders, academic disciplines and institutional boundaries.

People are also transforming philanthropy into an investment vehicle. Men and women throughout the developed world are starting to recognize and take advantage of social finance. Micro-lending, community investing, social-impact bonds and social-enterprise lending enables social entrepreneurs and their donors to stimulate positive community and environmental benefits while reaping financial returns.

The conditions are so ripe for London to be a leader of social finance in Canada. Your city is full of intelligent, ambitious people, home to two of our country’s finest institutes of higher learning, and a hub of information-technology development and research into biotechnology and life sciences.

The conditions of the modern economy are also ripe for a resurgence of philanthropy in Canada. In our new economy, knowledge is a much more valuable asset than physical capital. Small but aggressive firms are gaining ground on large, entrenched organizations. And individual entrepreneurs or small groups of visionary businesspeople are driving most of the innovations of our time.

The emergence of an entrepreneurial economy is opening up philanthropic activities from new sources. Even more excitingly, new leaders of Canadian philanthropy—fuelled by the principles and spirit of entrepreneurship—are poised to emerge.

Philanthropy in Canada needs this infusion of fresh ideas and constructive ambition. The most recent statistics on giving in our country show that while many Canadians are generous with their money, too many are not.

Only 23 percent of tax filers claim a charitable deduction on their returns, down from 30 percent in 1990. Equally troubling, their average age is 53. That’s too old for my liking. And the average gift in Canada is less than half that in the US.

These numbers tell me we need a new generation of young, aggressive, compassionate entrepreneurs to come forward and invest their time, talent and treasure in our country. The great thing about entrepreneurship is that it isn’t limited solely to business. Entrepreneurs exist in all walks of life, anywhere people see a product or service or approach and say, I have an idea to do it better.

The fertile minds and relentless drive of entrepreneurs are an untapped resource in Canadian philanthropy and a vital force in its future success. Many years ago, the great American benefactor David Rockefeller said: “Philanthropy is involved with basic innovations that transform society, not simply maintaining the status quo or filling basic social needs that were formerly the province of the public sector.”

I think his wise words are even truer today. Our entrepreneurs are exactly the kind of people who need to become increasingly involved in philanthropy.

I see dozens of budding philanthropists here today. Don’t wait until you retire from your current careers to begin giving. Find ways to start now.

I also see several mentors here today—philanthropists with long track records of success.

I see Lorraine and Dick Ivey. Two treasures of the City of London, Lorraine and Dick are known and respected throughout Canada as among our most generous and effective philanthropists. What may not be as widely known is how they have worked closely with the London Community Foundation, leveraging their own resources to raise additional funds, start more programs and, most importantly, get increasingly more people involved in giving.

Dick once said that “the opportunity to preserve what is good on earth, to support what feeds the soul or stimulates the intellect, to encourage a talent, save an endangered species or keep alive the dreams and aspirations of others is not only a privilege but a sacred responsibility.”

Lorraine and Dick have fulfilled that sacred responsibility, and we Canadians are much richer for their commitment, intelligence and generosity.

I also see Donna and Bob Bourne. Donna and Bob are truly smart and caring Canadians who are improving lives in London and in communities far from home. They rely on the London Community Foundation to make sure that recipient charities are held accountable and ensure their family’s generous contributions have the greatest impact possible.

Animating all of their philanthropic activities is a simple yet profound idea: They want their giving to be an example and an inspiration to others—most directly, their children—never to forget how fortunate they are and that they must find ways to recognize their good fortune by giving back.

Lorraine and Dick, Donna and Bob are eager to share their wisdom. I urge London’s emerging philanthropists to take advantage of this deep wellspring of intelligence and guidance. Successful giving isn’t easy. As renowned Canadian philanthropist Francis Winspear said, “Giving money requires even more prescience, more imagination, more executive skill than making it.”

I also encourage the city’s young givers to strengthen their ties with the London Community Foundation. This local foundation has set up three key initiatives to help you make the most of your time, talent and treasure:

(1) Engage London helps young professionals find the perfect fit for their contributions;

(2) Emerging Leaders is a group of up-and-coming philanthropists from a range of backgrounds and experiences who share winning ideas and approaches to spur further successes;

(3) And the Red Shoe Society is a network of young philanthropists who raise funds and awareness for the Ronald Macdonald House of Southwestern Ontario—a splendid cause that shelters families of young children who are undergoing lengthy medical treatments in hospitals far from home.

Whether you choose to follow one of these paths or strike out on another, remember that meaningful opportunities are there for you to seize. And remember from time to time what attorney Albert Pike said about giving: “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we do for others remains and is immortal.”

So seize your chance. Carpe diem. Start giving. Enter the company of the immortals. And leave as your legacy the smarter, more caring country and world we all hope for and dream of.

Thank you.