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Address by Prime Minister Paul Martin - Visit of His Excellency Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan
March 09, 2004
Ottawa, Ontario
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
Check against delivery
Mr. Speaker of the Senate, Mr. Speaker of the House.
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is a great privilege to welcome to Parliament the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan.
Your Excellency, Canada may be a young country, but we have one of the oldest continuing systems of government in the world and, throughout that history, we have been staunchly democratic.
This magnificent chamber, this House of Commons, is the engine room of our democracy and, sometimes, it can get pretty noisy in here.
Thus while I would like to believe that the rare calm you see before you today, reflects the enormous support for the policies of the Government on both sides of the House, I suspect the calm is primarily a tribute to you and to the great institution you lead.
Canadians were among the first and continue to be among the world’s most steadfast supporters of the United Nations. It should be no surprise therefore that many have become integral to the UN’s endeavour.
Let me introduce six such Canadians who are with us today.
Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire, a compassionate and articulate advocate of the world community’s responsibility to protect.
Major General Andrew Leslie, recently returned from Afghanistan, where he was deputy commander of the International Assistance Force which is making a difference – nation building in that war torn country.
Stephen Lewis – the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on HIV AIDS in Africa.
Maurice Strong – Undersecretary-General and Special Advisor to the United Nations.
A man who has done so much to make the environment a global responsibility.
Louise Frechette, for many years a distinguished Canadian public servant and now the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Louise Arbour, Supreme Court Justice of Canada, Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunals in the Hague, and the next United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Your Excellency,
Canada is an international player. Our security, our prosperity, our environment are intimately connected with developments beyond our borders.
No country is more open to the world than Canada, and no country has a greater stake in making sure that our international institutions work fairly and effectively.
It is vital for Canada – it is a fundamental Canadian self interest – that the international community be guided and bound by the rule of law.
But our commitment to internationalism goes beyond self-interest narrowly conceived.
It is also a matter of the heart, of a belief in the dignity of all people, and the need for equitable solutions to global problems.
Multilateral commitment, for us, is more than a simple wish; it is a recognition that Canada’s destiny as a free nation demands international fairness, integrity, courage and imagination.
These are the qualities the world needs, if we are to meet the challenges of today of tomorrow.
They are also the qualities that come most readily to mind when we think of the life and career of our honoured guest.
In the year 2001, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the United Nations and its Secretary-General.
Justifiably so, because Kofi Annan exemplifies in his person the highest aspirations we all hold for the community of nations.
At critical moments in its history, the United Nations has made it through difficult times because it was led by a great Secretary-General.
There is no doubt that this is the case today. That Kofi Annan has earned his place among the great leaders of the UN.
These are not easy times.
- The threat of terrorism.
- The growing gap between the world’s rich and the world’s poor.
- The need to protect our global commons against the ravages of pollution and senseless exploitation –
- The responsibility to protect.
These are the challenges we face and they require nations to shoulder their global responsibilities and work together.
At the center of it all lies the United Nations. If it doesn’t work, then more and more people will be left behind. Our problems will deepen, and durable solutions will become more remote.
We live in one world, and all our destinies are linked.
Kofi Annan, by word and deed, has devoted his entire working life to keeping this fundamental truth before our eyes.
He has dealt with the most critical issues of our times, from wars in the Gulf and the Balkans, to the status of East Timor, to peace efforts in the Middle East.
Your Excellency, Canada agrees with you that there is a collective responsibility to protect people from the worst threats to their security.
Kofi Annan has been an inspiration in the struggle to end global tragedy.
For instance, his leadership has been essential in the establishment of the Global Fund for AIDS and in the campaign to provide cheap medicines to sufferers in poor countries.
Canada has listened. We are the first OECD country to introduce legislation to provide inexpensive generic drugs to the poorest of the poor with HIV/AIDS.
I can think of no better way to commemorate the visit of the Secretary-General to this Parliament, than for Honourable Members and Senators from all parties to join together and pass this legislation quickly.
The time to act is now.
In these and so many other areas, such as the Millennium Development goals signed by 147 world leaders in September 2000, Kofi Annan reminds us that the great issues of war and peace cannot be separated from the great causes of human rights and individual freedom.
The Secretary-General displays a calm, and a forcefulness in the midst of the whirlwind that is astonishing. He not only tackles global crises with great resolve and creativity, he also is forthright in his calls for changes to the United Nations itself.
The great institution is not broken, but it is hurting. Many of the problems we face cannot be easily addressed by models established 50 years ago to deal with very different sorts of issues.
For this reason, the Secretary General has established a High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, to advise him on ways to ensure the United Nations is up to the tasks it faces.
He can be confident that Canada will stand with him to ensure that his reform efforts move forward and take hold. We can do no less.
It is far too easy to criticise the United Nations, as if it were some remote and abstract entity. It is not. The United Nations is us. Its shareholders are the 191 states that make up its membership, and it is we who are accountable for its failures as well as its successes.
Canada has done its fair share and more throughout the years.
- through our continuing work on human rights,
- on peacekeeping, and in so many other areas of international importance.
Wherever there is pain and suffering in the world, we can find Canadians from every walk of life helping to make things better. Afghanistan and Haiti are but two of the more recent examples where the men and women of our armed forces are serving the cause of democracy with courage and compassion.
Your Excellency, this House divides on many issues, and that is a testament to our democratic spirit. But I can assure you that every one here is united in our admiration for the work you are doing.
We all share the profound Canadian commitment to the cause of multilateralism and to the continuing health and vitality of the United Nations.
Mr. Speaker, may I present the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan.
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