Rideau Hall, Thursday, November 6, 2008

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this breakfast, which we organized as part of the Workplace Charitable Campaign.

It warms our hearts to see so many of you here.

I say “we” because this breakfast is a tradition that I am happy to continue by opening the doors of Rideau Hall, but it was organized by a whole team of dedicated employees, employees I would like to give a big thank you to this morning.

Let’s give them a round of applause.

Your participation—whether donating to the campaign or taking part in its various activities—is even more commendable during these difficult times when the prospect of a recession has us facing many uncertainties.

For the less fortunate in our society, the repercussions can be terrible. But the time, energy and resources you have donated to this campaign will help ease these repercussions and improve the living conditions of those who are the most in need.

Your willingness to share, your generosity and your commitment to helping others remind us that there are other ways of living together as a society.

That is how we inspire hope in others and how it shows us that we can put an end to indifference and the feeling of powerlessness.

I believe in these bonds of solidarity, which transcend differences and the walls we put up between us.

It makes me very proud to see how successful the campaign is here at Rideau Hall, year after year.

In 2007, we raised over $26,000. That’s quite a lot for an organization of approximately 100 employees.

Every gesture, every gift counts and contributes to the strength of the whole.

Thank you for showing concern for your fellow Canadians. Thank you very much.