RECONCIALIATION, RECOGNITION AND RENEWAL

TORONTO, ONTARIO, January 27, 1997 – In a speech to the members of the Cercle canadien de Toronto, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the Privy Council, Stéphane Dion, dealt with three major themes of Canadian unity: reconciliation, recognition and renewal.

That idea of the three "Rs" was proposed by the Coalition of the Hellenic Canadian Congress, the National Congress of Italian Canadians, and the Canadian Jewish Congress, when it released its policy statement on national unity on November 26 last year. Mr. Dion took up those themes at the request of the members of the Cercle canadien de Toronto, saying he was delighted that this idea has been making headway.

"If we want to save Canada," the Minister stated, " if we want to leave to future generations this country that is a model of success for the entire world, we must build bridges of reconciliation among provinces and citizens throughout the country, we must make the effort to understand and know ourselves better. Above all, this reconciliation must take place in people's hearts and minds, not just on a piece of paper signed by politicians."

On the theme of reconciliation, Mr. Dion stated that, "Recognizing Quebec's difference would be a way for all Canadians to assert their solidarity with Quebecers' efforts to preserve a vibrant, dynamic Francophone society within an English-speaking North America." He asserted that "The fears some Canadians have about recognizing Quebec's distinctiveness are unfounded." The Minister expressed confidence that "we will succeed in convincing Canadians in the majority Anglophone provinces of the need to recognize the unique spirit and culture of Quebec society, and to enable it to flourish securely within the Canadian federation."

Concluding on the theme of renewing the federation, Mr. Dion noted that the quality of services to the public is a core concern of the federal government, and that the initiatives being implemented to renew the federation are based on the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity, which are the strength and the success of the Canadian federation. The Minister illustrated that point with a number of examples, including active employment measures and job training, the national child benefit program and harmonization of income support measures and programs for persons with disabilities, environmental harmonization, and support for exports.

"The advantage of being a federation," Mr. Dion concluded, "is that, on the one hand, each province has the ability, together with its business and labour communities, to design strategies linked to its resources and its culture, while on the other hand, we benefit from the strength of the Canadian whole." The Minister pointed ou that Canada is chairing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (APEC) this year, and that this region of the world is a promising future market for all Canadians.

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