August 04, 2005
Ottawa, Ontario

Check against delivery

Ladies, Gentlemen and Dear Colleagues,

I would never have believed that fate had such an honour in store for me. I am moved and honoured by this show of confidence: the Prime Minister recommended me to be the 27th Governor General of Canada, and the Queen has agreed.

This is a great honour to which I gave a great deal of thought. I asked myself: how and what could a Canadian and Quebecker like me who is conscious of her rights and responsibilities as a citizen contribute to the history, present and future of this vast country of ours.

This country … with its immense and unlimited possibilities … rich with the daily contributions of people who have come from all over the world… I am part of this … My father and mother, like many other exiles, found Canada to be a refuge full of promise for their two children and a chance to rebuild their lives.

By anchoring ourselves in Quebec, we were able to immerse ourselves in the French language we hold so dear.

In the past, we spoke of solitudes in Canada among our founding peoples. Today’s Canada has more voices than before – each calling out to be heard, to be respected and to be understood.

The diversity of our landscape, people and cultural backgrounds gives us a sense of community in Canada.

I want individuals in Canada to be more than just told that they are included. They have to know and experience what Canada means to them and be able to participate in all this country has to offer.

The greatest asset of this country is that it evolves. During the years I have worked as a journalist and a broadcaster on our public television channels, I saw prejudices fade and attitudes change. The days when someone would dare to think and say that a black person wouldn’t have any credibility as a journalist in the eyes of the public have passed.

We must continue to grow. It is in this spirit that I have accepted this offer and that I will fulfill the role of Governor General.

I will represent the Crown in Canada and perform all the constitutional and ceremonial duties that are part of our parliamentary democracy.

But also important to me is making this institution one that reflects the voices of Canadians.

For I believe this office has to connect with everyone in the country, without distinction. I want this office to continue to have life to it and connect with people from all walks of life, all backgrounds and circumstances. In other words, with all Canadians.

I will, with conviction and enthusiasm, encourage citizens to gather together and to be engaged in their communities. I will honour what they accomplish. All this inspires me because hope is nourished by our ability to dream.

The efforts of those citizens struggling to be heard – at home as well as abroad – have driven my journalistic and intellectual interests and passions.

I have devoted a major part of my life to interviewing and listening to others. In taking the time to really understand their concerns and their drive to act, to contribute, and to give of themselves for the betterment of humanity.

Years of involvement in social issues and in journalism have deepened my conviction and my appreciation for the increasingly complex reality of our world. I sincerely hope as Governor General to make humanity more human.

I will act according to my convictions, always remaining true to myself, sustained by all that life has taught me.

I have come a long way. My ancestors were slaves. I was born in Haiti, the poorest country in our hemisphere. I am a daughter of exiles driven from their native land by a dictatorial regime.

I am a mother who worries about the kind of future that awaits her child and all the children on this earth.

I care deeply about the founding values that unite us – values that we must defend, build on, and preserve.

The most important value, in my eyes, is respect. The Canada I love is the one that defines itself through its respect for others, and through its recognition of each person’s integrity and dignity.

For all these reasons, I am ready to put my shoulder to the wheel. I hope that, as Governor General, I will remind all Canadians of the ideals that we must pursue. It will be a journey that will take me across this country, a country that I have explored, but not yet fully. There is so much for me to discover, as I reach out to the men and women throughout this great land.

It is indeed an honour to succeed Madame Adrienne Clarkson. Madame Clarkson has devoted an enormous amount of energy and devotion to her country and fellow Canadians through this office, ably supported by her husband, John Ralston Saul. Together, they have infused the office with a new energy: think of all the forums they have organized to foster the exchange of ideas, and of the zeal with which they promote artists and their achievements from across Canada.

Equally significant has been their close work with Aboriginal communities. We will remember Adrienne Clarkson’s exceptional contribution to the public service and to Canada, not only as Governor General, but all through her career, including her work as a journalist. I am sure that all Canadians will join me in expressing our deepest gratitude.

This is all so exciting!

And I am so lucky – especially when I think of my husband Jean-Daniel and our daughter Marie-Eden. They are both as excited as I am, and are equally determined to join me in this great journey.

I am a woman of action, and I can’t wait to get started.

Thank you.