Rideau Hall, Monday, December 2, 2013

We are honoured to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall, home of the people of Canada, for this year’s presentation of the Canadian Health Research Awards.

This is the first time these awards have been presented here, but they fit so perfectly with this place, where we honour the very best in Canadian ingenuity, innovation and invention. I would like to thank all those with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for recognizing our health care professionals in this way.

The body is a wondrous and mysterious piece of machinery. It contains more than 200 bones, 650 muscles, 100 trillion cells. Our heart beats 100 000 times per day. Our lungs take 23 000 breaths per day.

And there are 20 000 diseases in the world ready to attack our bodies in numerous ways. Add to that number the amount of diagnosable mental illnesses, which in Canada affects one in five adults, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

I am by no means a medical expert, and I am sure that those we honour today could give me a more accurate count—or could correct me if I am off by a million cells or so!

But it is the complexity of the human body and the human mind that I wish to convey, as well as the health challenges we face, as individuals and as a society.

That is why health research is so vital to our well-being.

This is an obvious statement, of course, but one worth saying, because we must not forget that going to the doctor’s office, getting a diagnosis and receiving treatment starts at the research level. If we understand how our bodies work, we have a better chance of extending our lives, and, perhaps more importantly, of improving our quality of life. 

Here in Canada, we do all this, we do it well, and we have done it throughout our history. But more than that, we have worked together to bridge knowledge and discovery with practical application. That we do so in Canada and with partners in other countries as well is also very impressive.

Wherever I have travelled, I have seen Canadians working with researchers around the world and sharing with others in related fields to advance research. In doing so, they help us to better understand how we work, play, think and grow.

What’s more, they ensure that discoveries will inform us not only how we live, but also how well we live.

And as new links are discovered between the health of the body and the well-being of the brain, more Canadians are participating in healthy activities.

The four outstanding researchers we honour today are contributing in magnificent and different ways to the health and well-being of Canadians. And they are doing so not by working in isolation, but in a collaborative environment, where research and sharing of that research help others.

Canadian health researchers have contributed to global medical advancements. To ensure that we continue to do so, we need to celebrate and follow the example set by the four recipients here with us today.

All of you, along with colleagues and peers across the country, are instrumental in making us healthier. Your dedication to discovery and to all aspects of our health has changed lives and improved our nation.

For the work you do, and for what you will continue to do throughout your careers, we are grateful.

Congratulations to all of you on this occasion.

Thank you.