Qu’Appelle Valley, Tuesday, May 9, 2006

I am proud to be the first governor general to visit your community. My husband Jean-Daniel and I would like to thank you for this honour which we feel so deeply. In this building, reminiscent of a tepee, I can sense a feeling of peace and harmony. It is a unique gathering place, ideally suited to an intimate exchange of ideas.

I cannot imagine a better place to begin a dialogue that I hope will be open and constructive. I come to you as a friend. I want to hear your concerns and your solutions and aspirations.

It is important to recognize the role Aboriginal peoples have played in building this country. What we need to hear continually are the First Nations and Métis points of view. Your words will help others better understand the role and the place of Aboriginal peoples in building this province and indeed this country –for our common future.

A big part of our common future is the youth of today. Saskatchewan’s Aboriginal population is young and growing rapidly.

Nothing in today’s society is more shameful than the marginalization of young people who are driven to isolation and despair. After all, our young people are helping to redefine the great family to which we all belong, in a world that is less and less impermeable, more and more open.

They are the promise of our future. We must communicate to them the spirit of adventure that our ancestors have passed on to us, regardless of their origins. We must give our young people the power and, even more, the desire to realize their full potential.

I was born in the poorest country in the Americas, under the yoke of what was once an implacable dictatorship. And I can tell you that whether here in Canada or elsewhere in the world, there is no mistaking the signs of anguish. You see it in the person who cannot find work. You see it in the family struggling with violence.

You see it in the young person who sees death as the only way to end his suffering. You see it in the woman or man sinking into despair, clinging to artificial lifelines.

Such anguish sows the seeds of bitterness and anger from which dreams of a better future can never be realized.

I firmly believe that healing and liberation begin from our ability to acknowledge and transcend our pain. We cannot undo the injustices of the past. But we can learn from our experiences and start to build the kind of society we want for ourselves and our children.

I can see that you have already begun to walk that path. You have built a community that is both proud of its roots and looking to the future. You have created modern institutions that are in harmony with your traditional knowledge, spirituality and culture. Just look at this governance centre and its operations, and your health centre that brings together traditional healing and cutting-edge technology.

You have so much to teach us. Your ancestors interpreted for us the spirit of these sweeping landscapes and fertile soil. They were the first to celebrate its riches; they taught us to take root on this continent. As they paddled the waters of the Qu’Appelle River, your ancestors heard the voices of the spirits. What are those voices saying today?

I like to think that they are talking about you, the women and men who have made these lands your home since the dawn of time. That they are reminding us that you are our deepest roots in the soil of America. That they are paying tribute to all of the women and men who have been left off the pages of our history books and out of our collective memory.

It is unworthy of a country like ours, so proud of its achievements and its position in the world, not to recognize the priceless contribution that the First Nations and Métis have made to our history, our unique identity and our aspirations for the future.

As governor general, I intend to devote myself to promoting and multiplying actions that help to create a broader dialogue, a deeper understanding of what we are collectively, and a greater tolerance in our daily life.

Today, I hope to be able to allow your words again to be given proper heed—because from your words come knowledge and recognition, impelling us to act.

Thank you for welcoming my husband and me here today. You can count on me to share your words with others as I travel this country and the world.