Rideau Hall, Tuesday, November 15, 2005

What is most encouraging in this world is that each of us has the power to spread such beauty, to bring great comfort to those around us, to aspire to the nobles of ideals. This has inspired my hope in humanity.

I also know that the worst atrocities are often committed in the name of ideology or stem from prejudices born of ignorance and misunderstanding. Denying more than half of the world’s population the most basic human rights is one of the biggest scandals of our time.

This is why I am willing to act, why I am determined to promote the values of respect, openness and sharing—values that, for me, are paramount.

The freedom we enjoy, which brings hope to so many suffering women the world over, also entails certain responsibilities. It is our duty to defend—steadfastly, vigilantly and yes, even stubbornly—the rights of women and children who are always the most affected by conflict, by violence, by oppression and by injustice.

Demanding these rights is the only way to ensure the freedom so abundant in Canada.

In 2000, the World March of Women, born out of the experience of the Women’s March Against Poverty, which took place in Quebec in 1995, saw women from every continent take to the street to speak out, be heard, act together and to expand their sphere of influence.

As a journalist, I wanted to make sure that the voices of women would be heard.

Women who, day after day, night after night, live in fear of violence.

Mothers searching for their children under debris.

Young girls devastated by stories of rape and mutilation.

I also spoke of Aboriginal women found dead on the side of the road.

I spoke of women living in extreme poverty, their children starving.

Of women, their eyes blank, sold as little more than commodities.

I met women who were silenced, left to solitude and despair.

Each time, I wanted to break down the wall of indifference and condemn these injustices.

Make no mistake—even here at home, in a country as progressive as Canada, known for its commitment to human rights and freedom, women must continue to fight to preserve what they have accomplished, to better their circumstances, and to achieve equality.

In Canada, women are still paid less than men for equal work, even when they have higher levels of education.

It is women who still work more unpaid hours.

It is women who are still at greatest risk of being attacked in the street or at home, and of disappearing.

I know this because I helped to establish a network of shelters for battered women in Quebec. I dedicated the first ten years of my career to this vital cause, and now, as governor general, I have no intention of abandoning it.

My first two official visits took me to Winnipeg and Charlottetown, where I met with women and men making a tremendous contribution to the fight against family violence. The statistics on the number of victims, on the number of deaths, are staggering.

We need a policy of zero tolerance to combat this epidemic. It is clear to me that it is increasingly necessary for Canadian women and men who have taken up this fight from coast to coast to come together. I have every intention of supporting this endeavour and will be speaking to you about this again very soon.

I believe in the power of action. I want our children—girls and boys—to inherit a world where respect is valued above all else.

And I have every reason to believe that this will happen. Because in every corner of the world, more and more women are daring to rise up and put a human face on humanity.

This is true of the six women we are honouring this morning. These women have fanned the flames of hope and joy in the hearts of women throughout this country and the world.

Their words have translated into actions, freeing actions that have led to profound changes in our society.

Ruth Marion Bell, Bonnie Diamond, Aoua Bocar LY-Tall, Josephine Enero Pallard, Muriel Stanley Venne, Erica Jamie Samms Hurley, you are role models for future generations and for all of humanity.

On behalf of all Canadians, I want to thank you for doing what you do to eradicate from our lives, from the lives of our children, the discrimination and misogyny that are still felt all too often.

I salute your courage, your commitment, your stubbornness and your generosity. Your presence here today is a sign of hope and it is also a hymn to the freedom that we desire for the girls and women who will follow in our footsteps.

Thank you.