Remarks for the Awards Ceremony
of the National Ethnic Press
and Media Council of Canada

Friday 14 November 2014                                   FINAL
Lieutenant Governor’s Suite                Check against delivery

Mr Saras, ladies and gentlemen: Good evening! Welcome to the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite.

Tonight we celebrate the best of Canada’s ethnic press and media. It is my pleasure to host this event for the first time.     I warmly welcome the award recipients and guests.

I have been looking forward to this event, because we have several interests in common. When I came to this office, I identified several challenges that we face in Ontario – and in fact, in the world. One of the challenges is social cohesion and one of the opportunities is building an understanding of how Ontario lives in an increasingly interconnected world.

This event is a perfect opportunity to explore both matters because the ethnic press and media play a large and growing role in fostering these conditions. And I certainly want to encourage your work in these areas.

Canada, and Ontario in particular, has been particularly blessed as a place where great diversity can thrive in relative harmony.  

This remarkable achievement is the product of many generations of policy, but also of a deep belief amongst Canadians that diversity is a strength, not a burden.

Our success as a culturally diverse society has made us the envy of the world. But we must be eternally vigilant and deliberately and consciously create and maintain the conditions for social inclusion.

And in this evolving process, you play a big part. The ability of ethnic media to give voice to new Canadians in their own language and cultural setting helps an untold number of people adjust to new realities and participate effectively in Canadian society.

As former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson recently observed “our core sense of who we are depends on our belonging to a group, a collective, a country”.

Thanks in part to you, new Canadians are able to find a cherished sense of belonging.

Thanks also to you, new Canadians become better informed and able to assume civic responsibilities as fully engaged citizens.

And as you will see from today’s award recipients, the role of creating this sense of belonging and identity is one in which many can participate. Today’s ceremony recognizes two outstanding police chiefs whose leadership in their fields has helped communities harness the strength of diversity, instead of its division.

When I speak of just and sustainable communities, I am not limiting us to local spaces and places.
These days, our world is growing ever more interconnected. Information travels with astonishing ease, communications technologies are ubiquitous and capital flows freely across borders.

As media professionals, you are well placed to illuminate for Canadians our place in the community of nations. You bring an international perspective, and you aid the exchange of news and stories between Canada and your countries of origin.

The task of bringing the world home to Canada is one in which I know you take great pride. Put simply, to succeed in the world, Canadians must understand the world. Your work helps all of us in this task.

I am impressed by what you have accomplished!  My thanks to Thomas Saras for bringing us together. And my warmest congratulations to the award recipients. Recognition from one’s professional peers must be most satisfying and fulfilling.
This evening, we celebrate all that you do to enhance social cohesion at home, and build stronger connections abroad.

And most importantly, tonight we celebrate excellence in the craft of journalism. By telling your stories accurately, objectively, and compellingly, you set new standards for this noble profession. Keep up the good work.

Thank you for being here. Enjoy the evening!