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IN JERUSALEM, MINISTER DION HIGHLIGHTED ALL
THAT QUEBECERS AND OTHER CANADIANS HAVE
IN COMMON AND ALL THAT A UNITED CANADA
HAS TO OFFER THE WORLD.
ISRAEL, June 28, 1998 – As the keynote speaker at the Jerusalem
Conference in Canadian Studies at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the
President of the Privy Council and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, the
Honourable Stéphane Dion, talked about the reasons he has chosen Canadian unity
and about the important place that Quebec occupies among those reasons.
He began with a quotation from a former president
of Israel, Chaim Herzog, who told Canadians: "You are an outstanding model
of coexistence between individuals of different cultures and backgrounds who
live here in a climate of mutual tolerance and respect for their original
identity."
The Intergovernmental Affairs Minister stated
that Canada has no meaning if it does not continually come closer to that model
of tolerance with which President Herzog and many other observers have
associated it. "It is that quest that is Canada’s true greatness,"
the Minister said, adding that "the main reason I believe that Canada must
stay united has more to do with the universal than with the specific."
The Minister listed some of Canada’s
achievements in connection with universal human rights:
- Canada, which is celebrating 150 years of
responsible government this year, has been a pioneer of democracy.
- Canada has never had an empire and has never
sent troops abroad in the 20th century for reasons other than defending
democracy and peace. In fact, during the Suez crisis in 1956, Canada
proposed the United Nations peacekeeping force.
- Canada has been faithful to its original ideal
of uniting populations of different languages and religions around common
objectives. It has also maintained its Francophone character in a North
America dominated by English, despite the wind of assimilation that has been
blowing in the world at a time when, for the first time in the history of
humanity, the number of languages spoken has decreased rather than
increased.
- Canada has managed to contain racism, as
evidenced by the tolerance that characterizes relations among the many
different ethnic communities in its major cities.
Minister Dion then noted the active contribution
of Canada’s Jewish community to the quest for the Canadian ideal, pointing out
that it was in Trois-Rivières that a Jew was elected to Parliament for the
first time in the entire British Commonwealth, as early as 1807.
The Minister continued by showing how Quebec
shares the same universal values and participates in the same culture of
tolerance as the other parts of Canada. Mr. Dion also defended the language laws
in force in Quebec, which he believes are more liberal and respectful of the
minority linguistic community than those passed by other multilingual
democracies.
The Minister stated that he is very optimistic
about Canadian unity, noting that Quebecers and other Canadians are increasingly
discovering how much being together helps them to advance ever further their
ideal of peace, harmony and prosperity.
Mr. Dion concluded by saying he hopes the debate
on Canadian unity is conducted clearly and frankly, respecting the law and
promoting dialogue, never exclusion.
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For information: André Lamarre
Press Secretary
(613) 943-1838
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