Notes for an Address to the Hebrew University

April 10, 2000
Jerusalem

This is a day that I will always cherish. In the presence of some of the best and brightest of Israel. I gratefully acknowledge this high honour. One that speaks volumes. Not about Jean Chrétien. Many of my boyhood teachers, not to mention my family, were astounded that I got through school at all.

Rather, it is eloquent testimony to the deep ties that have made Israel and Canada the best of friends and partners. Attachments that transcend mere statecraft.

Ties of family, history and of shared values. Ties that are embodied by the Israel Association for Canadian Studies at the Halbert Center of this University. One of the finest Canadian Studies Associations outside Canada. I am pleased that Ralph Halbert and representatives of the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University are here with us.

Israel enjoys a vibrant Canadian community. And Canada has been enriched... beyond measure...by our dynamic Jewish community. We share a commitment to democracy. We are diverse, multicultural societies. Who have a common understanding that the emergence of globalization places a high premium on collaboration and cooperation.

Above all, we share a fundamental belief in the rule of law. While we may not always succeed in matching reality to our ideals, we are deeply committed to them. I am especially pleased to note that our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which was one of my proudest achievements as Minister of Justice, has been an inspiration to Israeli law makers.

In that regard, I am delighted that during my stay I have had the chance to meet the President of the Supreme Court of Israel, Aharon Barak. Our meeting was the result of many years of cooperation between the legal communities in Israel and Canada. And I would like to pay special tribute to Irwin Cotler. A recently elected member of our government, he has devoted enormous energy to promoting this cooperation.

Ladies and gentlemen, the students of this university are the next generation of the leaders of Israel. They are the future. But it is only in coming here. To the region. To the Middle East. To Israel. To her neighbours. That you can truly grasp the power of history.

Coming here, I felt the rich presence of ancient cultures and deeply held beliefs. Handed down from generation to generation. I looked out over Jerusalem. So much a spiritual home to Jews, Moslems and Christians. I sensed the presence of centuries and millennia. And I was filled with admiration for the people of Israel, and all of the Middle East, as they face the common challenge of building a just and comprehensive peace. With dignity for all.

For over 50 years, the people of Israel have drawn on endless resources of courage and vision. Facing the challenge of survival. Building a modern, vibrant democracy. And, now, working to make partners out of adversaries.

The road has not always been smooth. There have been times of exhilaration. And times of heartache.

Yet Israel, and her neighbours, have stayed the course. Achieving breakthroughs that in the past would have seemed beyond imagination. Peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. The Oslo process. The establishment of relations with many Arab States. The Palestinian Authority. And sustained, if often difficult, progress towards real peace with Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians.

As a friend and partner, Canada has shared the exhilaration and the heartache with you. We grieved the loss of Yitzhak Rabin. And we have been cheered by the courage and vision with which Prime Minister Barak has followed in his footsteps.

Canada was with Israel at the beginning. In 1947. And we have been at your side ever since. Through your struggle to protect the rights of Jews everywhere. Through your fight to reverse the deplorable "Zionism is Racism" resolution at the UN. Through it all, Canada has staunchly defended the right of Israel to live as a nation at peace. And we will never waver.

Canada will always be a friend and partner of Israel. We are also a friend to the Arab neighbours of Israel. That is why we have worked so hard to foster dialogue and understanding throughout the region.

By taking part in every regional peacekeeping operation. Through our leading role in the Refugee Working Group. Where we are helping to improve living conditions for refugees. And develop ideas for longer term solutions that respect human rights and ensure dignity.

In this global era, where regional conflict can affect the whole world, the imperative for Canada to be engaged is even more pressing. That is why I am visiting not only Israel and the Palestinian Authority. But also Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.

Yesterday, I met with Prime Minister Barak. Today, with Chairman Arafat. I have a strong sense that, despite current difficulties, there is undeniable progress towards a comprehensive and just peace. We must never allow ourselves to become disillusioned.

It is with these credentials. As a friend. A partner. And a peacemaker. That Canada is committed to helping bring new prosperity and lasting reconciliation to Israel and the Middle East.

When I speak of prosperity, I start with the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement. Since 1997, it has added new economic depth to our relationship. Increasing trade dramatically. Two-way trade in goods and services reached close to $1 billion dollars in 1999.

New business partnerships are occurring with greater frequency. In tourism, aerospace, telecommunication, consumer products, engineering and transportation. New alliances are also forming quickly between our high technology firms. Scientists from the Technion and the Weizman Institute are developing technologies with partners at the Polytechnique of the University of Montreal and the University of Waterloo.

And I am delighted to announce the renewal of a highly successful program of technological cooperation. With the cooperation and equal financial participation of the Government of Israel, we have agreed to fund the Canada-Israel Industrial Research Development Foundation for five more years. Since its creation...the Foundation has brought together Canadian and Israeli partners to develop nearly 30 commercially-viable projects at the cutting edge of modern technology.

As Canada and Israel work together to become more prosperous. We are mindful that many of Israel’s closest neighbours lag behind. None of us wants this. A healthy political environment cannot be achieved without a healthy economic environment. Let us, therefore, build partnerships to advance along the road to prosperity.

The Canadian International Development Agency and our Export Development Corporation stand ready to help. But I also foresee Canadian firms working with Israeli and Palestinian partners. Through such cooperation, the dividends of peace can be realized throughout the region. To that end, this fall, our Minister of International Trade, accompanied by a Canadian business delegation, will visit the region to foster strategic alliances and create new partnerships.

And at the invitation of Israeli and Palestinian ministers, I am pleased to announce that, led by the private sector, Canada will increase our efforts to support trilateral business cooperation. To include research and development, production and training in Palestinian industrial zones. I also strongly endorse the proposal by Israel and Palestinian ministers for an extension of the Canada-Israel Industrial Research Development Foundation to include the Palestinian Authority.

To build lasting peace, we must not only make common cause economically we must promote dialogue and bridge differences. Since 1992, our Fund for Dialogue and Development has done just that across the region. And I am pleased to announce a new 4-year phase of this Fund. A phase that, I hope, will include new partners from Syria and Lebanon.

As Israel and her neighbours move closer to peace, they must have the assurances of international help to protect that peace. Canadian peacekeepers have served with distinction throughout the region. On the Sinai. And with UNDOF on the Golan since it was created. Tomorrow, I will bring greetings from a proud nation to our troops on duty there. And I pledge today that, if asked, Canadian peacekeepers will be there when a comprehensive agreement is achieved.

Ladies and gentlemen, in Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers it is written: "Condemn no man and consider nothing impossible. For there is no man who does not have a future and nothing which does not have its hour."

I believe that the hour for peace is near. Long memories and strongly-felt grievances have done too much to shape the present. You are choosing now to make history, not be made by it.

The transition to peace is not easy. The wounds suffered by generations will not be healed overnight. But sooner, rather than later, this will become a region of open borders. Open to peoples. Open to commerce. Open to ideas.

I say to you that Canada will persevere in promoting understanding between Israel and her neighbours. With all the tools, all the energy and all the goodwill at our disposal, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to help make your most cherished dream come true.

The dream of Peace. Now and forever.

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