Ottawa, Saturday, May 10, 2014

What an honour it is to share this stage with some of Canada’s greatest performing artists.

I am star-struck!

Our laureates are being recognized for their lifetime achievement, and tonight’s gala is our way of celebrating their remarkable contributions to the performing arts, in Canada and around the world.

As governor general, I am privileged to visit communities all across this country and around the world.

Let us go back, to the very beginning, to highlight some of the home communities that such remarkable talents call home.

In the words of the late, great Canadian poet Al Purdy, let me “say the names.”

Our laureates come from Outremont, Quebec, from Cranbrook, British Columbia, and from the One Arrow Reserve in Saskatchewan.

They are from Montréal, from Paris—the one in France!—and from Port Hope, Ontario.

One is a proud, adopted Winnipegger, and the others—a certain rock band that shall remain nameless—played its first show at The Rivoli, on Queen Street West in Toronto.

I am inspired by the paths you have travelled and can only imagine the stories you could tell.

Like Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, you’ve been There and Back Again!

Just in case you think I’m getting off topic, I should mention that the soundtracks to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies were scored by Howard Shore, who received this honour in 2011.

But I digress.

You of all people know there is no shortcut to success in the performing arts.

The road is long, and you have come from far and wide.

Your careers are the very definition of a labour of love. You make your living onstage, or backstage, but strangely, you're in the audience!

Tonight, once again, the spotlight belongs to you.

Congratulations on receiving this honour. You are most deserving, and you all make us proud.

On behalf of all Canadians, I thank you for delighting and entertaining us, for stirring our emotions and stimulating our intellects, for supporting the arts, and for your dedication to excellence.