Visit to Montréal

"Your stories, simply put, are amazing," stated His Excellency. "Each of you has done so much as a member of the PalliAmi team, giving not just to the organization, but also to the people who rely on its services. You have shown how caring you are, how understanding you are, how empathetic you are to those at the most vulnerable point of their lives, as well as their families."

On November 26, 2013, His Excellency was at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal to present the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award to 10 volunteers of the PalliAmi Foundation working alongside end-of-life patients at the Palliative Care Unit of Hôpital Notre-Dame.

Martine Roy has been volunteering since 1994, when she went to work alongside Mother Teresa to help sick and dying women in India. She went back in 2002, to assist teachers at a school for students with intellectual and physical disabilities. In 2003, she joined the PalliAmi Foundation, where her empathetic listening and involvement have helped many patients to live their last moments surrounded by warmth and respect.

That evening, His Excellency addressed members of the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal, a network of young adults between the ages of 18–40, whose mission is the development of young business people in Montréal.

Jacques Ménard (far right), Chairman of BMO Nesbitt Burns and President of BMO Financial Group, Quebec, and Alexandra Corbeil (right of His Excellency), President of the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal, also addressed the audience.

Following his opening address, the Governor General participated in a round-table discussion on how to encourage young professionals to take a more active role in their communities through time, talent or money, thus contributing to a smarter and more caring country.