Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala

Ottawa, Saturday, May 9, 2009

The Governor General of Canada walks on stage to the sound of music.

The music stops and the lights go out.

Shh! Long minute of silence.

Listen to the silence.

Take in the darkness.

It is as though the world were devoid of all human activity.

It is as though the world had purged itself of all emotion.

It is as though the world were closed off to all questioning.

It is as though the world had returned us to solitude, with no means of sharing.

It is as though in an instant, the world had lost its essence and its beauty.

In short, it is the world as it would be without our artists.

Because it is our artists who express and cast new light most strongly and unconditionally on this amazing adventure that is the human experience.

The lights come on again, one at a time. 

Dear artists, believe me when I tell you that the brilliant paths upon which you are travelling are illuminated with the glow of our gratitude.