His Honour

The Honourable David C. Onley, O. Ont.

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

Speaking Notes for the

National Ethnic Press & Media Council Ceremony & Reception

LG’s Suite, Queen’s Park

Mon 29 October 2007                        

Mr. Saras, Consuls General, Your Worship, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen, good evening and welcome to Queen’s Park.

The first Black presses started up in Canada in the middle of the nineteenth century. Ever since, ethnic and visible minorities in our society have looked to their own media for information about events in their communities and for news about what is happening in their countries of origin.

And they have been well-served in this respect, to the point that today, Canada has more than 250 ethnic newspapers representing over 40 cultures, as well as 14 full-service radio stations, television stations in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver broadcasting programming in a variety of languages, and almost 50 digital specialty services across the country.

In a healthy society, the media reflect competing opinions and interests, so that citizens can make well-informed choices. The ethnic media in Canada play an important role in both informing and transforming attitudes, raising public awareness of the issues of the day, while ensuring that nothing gets lost in translation.

Ethnic media can build bridges between communities, during times of crisis,  when ethnic minorities who turn to their own-language media for information, discover common bonds of suffering and survival with other communities.

The ethnic press have a role in good times, too. A strong and diverse ethnic press plays an important part in a multicultural community like ours. Ethnic newspapers help new immigrants to adapt and thrive in our society, because they carry information that may not make it into mainstream media. They are also useful in longer-established communities, because they reflect current affairs through the distinct lens of their own ethno-cultural experience.

I commend the National Ethnic Press and Media Council for playing a leadership role in highlighting the importance of the ethnic media in our society. And I congratulate this evening’s award winners for your outstanding contributions to your communities.

Thank you.