Rideau Hall, Wednesday, May 7, 2014

My wife, Sharon, and I are delighted to welcome you to Rideau Hall, the home of the people of Canada.

This building has been the home and workplace of every governor general since Confederation, and it is here that Canadians gather to share ideas and dreams for this country, and to discuss our role in the world.

Your investiture into the Order of Canada today is part of that important conversation. Each of you is here because of your remarkable—and varied—achievements.

I would like to capture the range of your activity in my remarks today, but the list is just too long—you are leaders in a remarkable variety of pursuits.

And you come from right across Canada.

Let me, therefore, borrow a phrase from the late, great poet Al Purdy, himself an Officer of the Order of Canada, and “say the names” of the provinces and territories from which you hail.

You’re from Alberta; the Northwest Territories; Ontario; Quebec; British Columbia; Nunavut; Saskatchewan; Manitoba; Newfoundland and Labrador; New Brunswick; and Nova Scotia.

You’re from major cities such as Toronto, Montréal, Edmonton and Vancouver, as well as smaller communities and settlements: Val D’Or; Pangnirtung; Bell Island and Dieppe.

You truly come from far and wide, your talents and interests are wonderfully varied—and yet, for all your diversity, what is perhaps most striking is how much you have in common.

Desiderantes meliorem patriam—“They Desire a Better Country.”

That is, of course, the motto of the Order of Canada to which you now belong.

I think it is safe to say, however, that each of you has desired stronger communities and a better Canada in which to live—indeed, a better world—for a very long time.

Certainly, you have poured your respective hearts and souls into your work. You have achieved a level of focus that has enabled you to excel and to effect positive change, be it a new idea or innovation, an original song or story, or a new way of reaching out and helping others.

You are thoughtful and introspective, and yet your actions are geared outwards to the world. Ken Dryden—also an Officer of the Order—wrote about this in his wonderful book, Becoming Canada. I quote:

“Being the best has to do with being so absorbed in what you’re doing that you have no time for attitude. You have no time for yourself separate from what you’re doing. What you are doing, you know, is more important than you are. And because you know this, no matter how good you are, no matter how good you become, you are never good enough. The great always fall short in their own minds; the great remain fiercely proud, yet humble. They know they are not as good as they seem to be.”

Ken Dryden knows a thing or two about greatness, ladies and gentlemen! That fierce pride, intermingled with humility, lies at the heart of your success.

And not just your success.

A successful nation similarly looks outward to the world with a mixture of curiosity, confidence and respect. Success is not achieved by flag-waving, or indeed by awarding medals and honours. If you believed this, I am certain you would not be here today.

Funny how these things work, isn’t it? Just as your investiture into the Order of Canada resulted from your laser focus on goals, not recognition, so will a smarter, more caring Canada be the result of our collective effort and determination to build a better country.

You of all people know there are no shortcuts to success. The road is long, you have come from far and wide, and I offer you my deepest thanks for all you have done for Canada.

Congratulations on this most deserved honour.

Thank you.