June 23, 2000
Paris, France

I am very pleased to be here. I wish to thank the Rector of the Académie, Mr. René Blanchet, for his kind words. The inauguration of this Chair in Canadian Studies at Université de Paris III Sorbonne Nouvelle is largely due to his efforts, as well as the commitment of President Jean-Louis Leutrat and Professor Jean-Michel Lacroix.

I would also like to express my deep gratitude to Mr. Lacroix, who has devoted more than 25 years of his professional life to making Canada - its culture, its literature and its institutions - better known in France.

I wish, also, to thank the Association française d’études canadiennes. It consists of more than 18 universities in France, each of which, in the last 20 years, has established a Canadian studies centre.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Chair we are inaugurating today is a fine illustration of our shared wish to discuss the Canadian and French experience. There is no doubt in my mind that it will be a lively forum. A place for reflection and for free and thought provoking discussion.

This Chair is also a testament to the breadth of interest that university professors, students and researchers have in Canada. You are the new explorers. The heirs of those who - exactly four centuries ago in the spring of 1600 - came to Tadoussac. And who, as long ago as 1604, in the company of Samuel de Champlain and Pierre Dugua de Mons, established the first French settlement in North America - in a place that would become Acadia. Canada and France will celebrate together this important date in 2004, just as in 2008, when we will be marking the 400^th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City.

Over those four centuries, Canada has been transformed. Building on our French and British heritage, our country has forged its own unique and original personality. And in this age of globalization - where our growing sense of multiple identities impels us to seek our unique selves - you are quite right to look at Canada.

We have built a strong nation with two official languages. A country that is a member of both La Francophonie and the Commonwealth. That, in itself, is a singular accomplishment on a mainly English-speaking continent.

Thanks to the determination of Canadians and the support of governments, the Francophonie has strong roots in Canada. Its principal home is, of course, in Quebec, where the majority of our country's eight million Francophones live. But it also is alive in New Brunswick, an officially bilingual province where 40% of the population is Francophone. And elsewhere in Canada the French fact continues to flourish and strengthen.

Some 300,000 young Canadians from English-speaking homes are enrolled in immersion schools, where almost all of the teaching is in French. Since 1971, the percentage of young Canadian Anglophones who are bilingual has been rising steadily.

Our legal landscape is also unique. Our law is based on English common law and French civil law. This typically Canadian bijuralism provides an instructive example for international organizations and groups that must blend legal traditions. It has also attracted the interest of many French experts.

These examples illustrate the extent to which Canada is, first and foremost, the result of a profound conviction. The conviction that the idea of community becomes most meaningful when every individual can find his or her own place while respecting the identity of others. In this regard, our country is a response to the challenge of the coexistence of identities.

At the dawn of this 21^st century – as we all know – our societies are increasingly multicultural or plural, as you often say in France. The challenge to governments is to integrate this diversity as they pursue the public good.

In this regard, it is wise to begin with a recognition of the rights of all our citizens. This is the route we have taken in Canada in responding to the special needs and circumstances of First Nations, the Inuit and the Métis. One of our most significant recent initiatives was, of course, the creation in April 1999 of a new territory for the Inuit - Nunavut.

As you know, President Chirac was the first foreign Head of State to visit Nunavut, only five months after it came into existence. On that occasion, he spoke of a "Canada which is seeking and inventing rules for living together in peace and tolerance." In these few words, your President captured the essence of Canada.

Canadian multiculturalism is about overcoming isolation among peoples by promoting mutual respect for our differences. This is, indeed, a challenge that today faces the entire world. But it is on the basis of this principle that our society has been developing ever since 1867, and especially since the beginning of the 20^th century. Today, only 48% of Canadians trace their origins to France or Great Britain. The rest have joined us from every corner of the globe.

This reality is reflected in the fact that the majority of people living in Metropolitan Toronto, our largest city, were born outside Canada. The same can be said of about half of the population of Vancouver, as well as an increasing number of Montrealers.

Canada's Governor General was born in Hong Kong. The Premier of the province of British Columbia was born in India. The third most common language spoken in the country, after English and French, is Chinese!

In this context, it was hardly by chance that Canada opted for federalism as its way of government. And this was a significant choice if we believe in the potential of a decentralized system. For us, it was the only possible choice, allowing everyone to preserve their identity while being part of a common national project.

Naturally, any federal system also fosters debate and discussion - which can be lively on occasion. But above our respective regional points of view, shared values unite Canadians from coast to coast. And the central government expresses those values.

Our history, our way of government and our vision of society shapes Canadians' values and priorities. For example, opinion polls show that Canadians give more importance to the role of government than our American neighbours do.

Canadians believe that government must work to ensure that prosperity is shared. That the free market forces must be balanced by state intervention. To assist the weakest members of society, maintain our universal health care system and prepare future generations for success.

But, at the same time, we must control the size of government. That is why we restored order to our public finances. Which has allowed us to achieve budget surpluses over the last three fiscal years. It has also enabled us to cut the national debt, reduce taxes and enhance existing programs or create new ones.

For example, every school and public library in Canada is now connected to the Internet. Canada was the first country in the world to achieve this. And our next goal is to connect every classroom to the Web. We are also in the process of creating 2000 21^st Century Chairs for Research Excellence in Canadian universities, to develop a new generation of researchers and attract the world's best minds to Canada.

These two examples show Canada’s desire to take its place in the knowledge-based global economy. And we are convinced that the new world which is emerging has the potential to improve the lives of every man, woman and child.

But it also brings its share of challenges.

One of the most obvious is undoubtedly that of preserving the cultural diversity that so enriches our world. Technological transformations and the new power of certain industries, some of which are based in our powerful southern neighbour, have highlighted the importance of this issue in recent years.

In Canada, the fight for cultural diversity enlists both Francophones and Anglophones. We strongly believe that it is possible to promote the establishment of vast economic blocs without obliterating our differences. And we are convinced that governments have a vital role to play in protecting and promoting culture.

France and Canada are close allies in the struggle for cultural diversity. We both invoke it in a number of fora, including UNESCO and La Francophonie. And it is a concern that will, one day, have to be aired in other multilateral bodies – including those that deal with technological and economic globalization.

Ladies and gentlemen, there are many intriguing discoveries in store in your study of Canada. I am pleased and proud that you are interested in our country, the history of our relations with France, and the challenges that await us as allies and friends.

And I am convinced that this new Chair of Canadian Studies will help to strengthen the special links between our two countries that have now existed for four centuries.

Long live Canada! Long live France! And long live the friendship between France and Canada!

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