August 19, 2026
Check against delivery
It’s a great pleasure for me to be here with you this morning. It feels as if the years that separate me from where you are today have somehow magically disappeared. I’d like to be able to tell you that I have a vivid memory of the day I graduated from law school, and how happy I was—as I’m sure you are now—to celebrate this rite of passage and contemplate the exciting professional life that lay ahead.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. I did have the immense honour of receiving an honorary doctorate from my alma mater a few years ago, and I certainly have wonderful memories of that grand and ceremonial occasion, one that now, I must confess, increasingly resembles my everyday reality.
But I have no recollection of my graduation in 1970, because it never took place. Or, at least, because I didn’t go to the graduation ceremony. I received my diploma in the mail, as was the custom at that time, given the challenges to the bourgeois traditions we had decided to get rid of.
In the early 1970s, Quebec was going through a period of profound transformation.
Student movements, which were driving forces within society, were advocating for social measures to reduce inequality and uphold human rights. Driven by ideals, we were little aware of the global challenges that lay ahead.
The context is different today. The quality of your academic experience is vastly superior to what was available to us, even though the university was at the forefront of institutions back then. When it comes to the acquisition and transmission of knowledge, boundaries are constantly being pushed back, and the level of academic achievement you have attained places you in a unique and enviable position vis-à-vis the challenges and opportunities that confront us all.
I know that you are rightly concerned about these issues: geopolitical tensions that weigh on our economy and put thousands of men, women and children elsewhere in the world at risk.
You are also aware of our planet’s fragility and, at the same time, its immense resilience. You understand the complexity of emerging technologies—both their promise and their pitfalls.
Although your generation has inherited significant challenges, I am convinced that your success will be commensurate with the high calibre represented by the degrees conferred upon you today.
Tomorrow’s great achievements belong to those who do not fear change, but who are determined to put a human face on it.
Your technical skills cannot replace what represents your true strengths: your judgment, your creativity and your ability to work together. Let these be the driving forces behind your ambitions.
However, I also hope that you will remain curious and generous. Use the knowledge and expertise reflected in your degree to benefit the world around you. Embrace change with confidence. And, above all, hold fast to the convictions that will give meaning and purpose to your journey.
Finally, I hope that, in the years to come, you will maintain the friendships you have forged here, and your attachment to your alma mater, as I have been fortunate enough to do.
My heartfelt congratulations to each and every one of you, and best wishes for the journey ahead!