Presentation of the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, April 7, 2009

I am delighted to welcome to Rideau Hall so many women and men who are known for their willingness to help one another, those whom I consider our everyday heroes, the very foundation and backbone of our society.

This residence is a place to live and to work, a place of discovery and of celebration. And I can think of no better reason to celebrate than this occasion, when we recognize the efforts of you, our everyday heroes.

Those of you who work where the needs are greatest know better than most: no one is immune to the economic turmoil gripping the entire world at this very moment.

And the most vulnerable among us are being hardest hit.

Women and men are losing their jobs.

Some are watching their savings melt away like snow on a sunny day.

Families are struggling just to get by.

Many young people have few opportunities or prospects for the future.

Our organizations and institutions are in dire straights.

An entire system based on market-driven logic and the “fend for yourself” mentality is folding like a house of cards, dragging us down with it, a system that today is trying to rebuild itself on a different foundation.

As far as I am concerned, what these events bring to light is the urgent need to return to more collective, more human values.

And I believe that, in today’s context, reaching out to the Other, as you do, is the best sign of hope and the most promising of gestures.

Because it is a gesture that has nothing to do with profit and everything to do with heart.

A gesture rooted in the profound conviction that life is precious and in the firm desire to contribute to the greater good.

A gesture that has the power to change the course of a life and, perhaps, the course of all things.

Who knows what an attentive ear, a kind word, or a helping hand can mean to someone struggling with an illness, unemployment, separation, depression or solitude?

I continue to believe that every action counts and is part of a greater network of solidarity that is continuously expanding, here and elsewhere.

The people we are honouring today, and there are more than a few, embody that ideal.

They share the determination to act for the greater good, and it is a privilege for me to pay tribute to them.

Each and every one of you reminds us that we all have a responsibility to acknowledge our frailties and to take care of one another.

It is a lesson in humanity that you are giving us, each in your own way.

A lesson in humanity that our world desperately needs in this age of all-too-frequent indifference and defeatism.

For dedicating your lives to reaching out to others, I thank you.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

May your work continue and inspire others to do the same.