Montreal, Sunday, October 22, 2006

Let’s cut right to the chase. With words that made my blood run cold. “We’re not going to beat you or even threaten you. We’re going to kill you by raping you.” Those words haunt the painful memory of Athanasie Mukarwego. They are the words spoken by the men who raped and humiliated this Rwandan mother in front of her children. They are words that continue to cry out in all of us.

These words demand that we break the silence. Athanasie has chosen to speak out for all women. Not to repair the damage of this outrage, but to find renewed hope and to be reborn. Let us thank her for her courage. Athanasie, to whom this conference is so rightly dedicated, bringing us together today, may your personal courage give strength to us all.

I would like to welcome all of you who have come from over forty countries to take part in this conference on violence against women. It is another opportunity to continue to break the silence and encourage dialogue on this important issue between researchers, practitioners, policy makers and students. It is a way to ensure that these words of hope are shared and kept alive.

I would also like to extend my sincerest thanks to the organizing committee and its president, Dominique Damant, for their tireless efforts to create this forum so that we may share our knowledge with one another. I hope that in the course of the conference’s two hundred presentations, partnerships will be formed, bonds of fellowship forged, and friendships made.

As many of you know, I myself spent many years of my previous life accompanying women who had suffered many forms of violence. I also helped to establish a network of shelters right here in Quebec for battered women. I will never forget the words of those women whose inner flame had been brutally snuffed out and who, little by little, found that spark once again. Their words lift me up, in good times and in bad.

And you may also know that while this land is my home, I spent my childhood in another country. My mother left behind a regime of terror, where violence and injustice were a daily threat, so that her daughters could grow and thrive in freedom. I haven’t forgotten that.

Like so many others, I found here, in Quebec, where I put down roots in this country, a place of unparalleled freedom. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am to my mother for giving me this chance at life, nor will I ever take it for granted.

I have made it my mission to defend this freedom vigilantly. To me, denying more than half of the world’s population the most basic human rights, including the right to live in security, is the most flagrant form of subjugation and one of the worst scandals of our time.

Let there be no doubt that since becoming governor general a little over a year ago, I have only strengthened my resolve and have made it a priority to fight violence against women.

There are evidently some who believe that the institution I embody is archaic and that I would do well to act as little more than a figurehead. I wonder, would the same be said of a man in this position?

To this, all I can say is that meeting with my fellow Canadians, hearing and sharing their concerns and aspirations, is what is most important to me.

And if there is still any doubt, let me say once and for all that my commitment to the causes I have always defended remains and will remain unchanged.

I intend to continue the fight using the means at my disposal, because the woman you see before you still believes that the right of all women to be protected against oppression and violence is a fundamental right.

I would add that this right is part of the values that define what it means to be a citizen of this country, values that are so much a part of our collective wealth. Values that I have always tried to defend.

Even if it sometimes means broaching such difficult subjects as domestic violence, as I willingly did on International Women’s Day.

I wasn’t looking for an opportunity to share part of my own story. I merely wanted to work a chink into the walls that surround so many women, closing in on them as they keep quiet. I have always thought speaking out to be infinitely more nourishing than withdrawing into that choking silence that isolates us even further.

It was in this spirit that I set out to travel across Canada following my installation as governor general.

And everywhere I went, from Iqaluit to Victoria, Fort Simpson to Charlottetown, Quebec City to Winnipeg, I met with women, men and young people making tremendous, extraordinary efforts to fight violence against women.

I would like to pay tribute to the organizations working in the trenches and that, with little to no resources and just as little recognition, are accomplishing a great deal.

It is truly heartening to see that this social problem is not just the concern of a few but rather is mobilizing both sexes and all ages to act. This, I think, is a very good sign.

In the course of my travels, I was privileged to witness such courageous actions, to hear such words filled with hope, that I would like to share just a little with you now.

In a shelter in Winnipeg, run entirely by Aboriginal women, I saw how they took charge of their lives and, drawing on their own experiences, their own thoughts, and their own skills, how they help women who are the victims of violence, women from all backgrounds and all walks of life, Aboriginal, non‑Aboriginal, immigrant women to do the same. These women are no longer victims. They are sources of strength and support.

In Iqaluit, the very dignified story of an Inuit woman, freed from the violence of her childhood, was so uplifting. She, too, this woman from Nunavut, is no longer a victim; she is a leader in her community, where a number of groups are taking a stand against violence.

In Montreal, at the invitation of the Regroupement provincial des maisons d’hébergement et de transition pour femmes victimes de violence, which I also like to refer to as my alma mater, thirty representatives from various organizations expressed a desire to pool their resources and work together for prevention, awareness and protection. This seemed a particularly wise decision given that all those working to put an end to violence against women agree, right across this country, that we must join forces now.

In Regina, thirteen female Aboriginal chiefs told me of how they fill their roles, often under difficult conditions, and of their determination to confront head‑on the problems of the treatment and disappearance of women in their communities.

In Toronto, the groups I met told me of the poverty facing women and their struggle to break free from economic discrimination. They also described the increasingly critical situation of immigrant women, who are often unaware of their rights, which serves only to make them even more vulnerable.

From what I have seen, I can tell you that not only are Canadians everywhere speaking out and identifying the problems, but there are also solutions coming out of every corner of this country. Even municipalities like Charlottetown are taking a stand against violence against women.

These are but a few examples of the encouraging work going on at this very moment. But we still need to acknowledge all that we have accomplished so that we can move forward in our actions and our thoughts. We must find new ways to do this, as you will do over the next few days.

And why not allow these exchanges to spark a national—no, an international—dialogue on violence against women, one that focuses on the best solutions we have found, all too often in isolation and with no means to share them?

Lately, I’ve been trying to think of the best way to expand this dialogue in Canada because everywhere I went, I heard that same desire. The time has come to take stock of all that we have accomplished so that we can move forward toward even greater success.

That being said, I was also struck by the difficulties across this country that are the realities of your day‑to‑day work on the front lines. Resources are tight, the problems complex, exhaustion ever present, and yet you remain as determined as ever.

Indeed, you make every effort to open eyes and broaden understanding of the problem of violence and its scope, both here at home and elsewhere around the world.

Your work is so important in reversing the trend of indifference. This is so critical given that statistics on the number of victims of violence continue to be alarming. Not even very young girls are safe.

This is intolerable. This is an issue that affects us all because, to put it plainly, this is unacceptable in a country like ours, known for its commitment to rights and freedoms.

Just as what is happening in the world concerns us. Many of you here will have such stories to tell. Of women being silenced. Of women being murdered. Of women being exploited. Women whose bodies are nothing more than lucrative commodities in the sex trade. Women whose futures carry little weight in the balance of power but, as you well know, women who are still speaking out, at times risking their very lives to do so.

I believe in the power of words and actions. I believe that Canada has a vital role to play in eradicating all forms of violence against women, in knocking down barriers to equality, in building a world where harmony and respect are valued above all else.

Women have always understood how precious life is. The battles they have fought and continue to fight to ensure that their rights are respected are in themselves an affirmation of human dignity and are helping to put a human face on all of humanity. Women have always endeavoured to pacify the tensions that grip certain regions of the world, just as they have chosen to build strong communities rather than embrace the “every man for himself” attitude. To attack the dignity of women is to fly in the face of life itself; it is to make a mockery of humanity. And every woman counts.

Perhaps this more than anything is one of the best reasons to hope with all of my heart that these next few days will see an impassioned exchange of ideas between you. If for no other reason, and I’m sure you will agree, than to honour Athanasie Mukarwego. Because her words are words of healing. Her words are words for the future.

Thank you.