Speeches
Canada’s Role in a Global Era – Notes for remarks to the Chance Conference, University of Toronto – March 8, 2008
Canada has become a magnet to people from around the world. We have transformed in a relatively short period of time into the most cosmopolitan and diverse society in human history. And because of our accident of geography ─ vast spaces from sea to sea to sea ─ we have a huge potential to transform even further.
Notes for remarks to the East York Kiwanis Club – April 3, 2007
We need bold and visionary national leadership to encourage us to self-limit, to sacrifice, to live intelligently and frugally, not wastefully. We need national leadership that redefines wealth as well-being, not well-having….We need to build a Canada where achievement is measured by our commitment and responsibility to our fellow citizens, not by our level of consumption.
Heading for the Future: Good Government, Good Citizenship – Justice, Equality, Diversity – Notes for Remarks to the Nova Scotia Liberal Party Women’s Commission and Young Liberals – March 4, 2006
In seeking out new leadership, we must bring a global as well as a national perspective to bear on the challenges that we face in common and the joint action required to overcome them. We must talk about the purposes for which we want to use government powers, and our shared values and goals as Canadians. We must talk about how we have built, and must continue to build, a great country that ensures justice, equality and diversity, respect for basic rights and freedoms, human dignity, and self-worth. We must also talk about what we mean by good citizenship, and the mutual civic responsibility each Canadian has toward his/her fellow citizen and society as a whole to enable us to live together in peace and humanity.
Elections Define Our Future: Uniting Canadians and Moving Forward – Notes for remarks to students of politics and law, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies, York University – January 12, 2006
Our diversity as a society is a great source of strength, but also a source of great responsibility. It is our responsibility to fight to ensure that our diversity does not lead to exclusion. …It is not enough to provide rights, although rights are the bedrock of our society. It is not enough to be tolerant, although tolerance is essential. We have to inspire and demand from ourselves the discipline to understand, celebrate, and protect what makes each of us unique. Preserving the dignity of our neighbour preserves the dignity of us all. …
It is not enough to demand good government; it is not enough to demand more police, tougher sentencing, more detentions. We must also demand good citizenship. We must ask at least as much of ourselves, as we ask of our government.