Rideau Hall, Friday, August 21, 2015

What can I say about that My Giving Moment video we just saw, ladies and gentlemen?!

It was a rare opportunity to indulge my inner rock star, really let my hair down and get hooked on giving!

All thanks to the magic of motion pictures!

And of course, that’s why we’re here today, gathered on the Rideau Hall lawn.

We’re so fortunate that this country is home to some of the world’s great filmmakers, actors and producers—talented people who are sharing Canadian perspectives and telling Canadian stories.

And that’s what we’re in for tonight: a Canadian story that brings characters to life during the First World War.

The Battle of Passchendaele was one of the most difficult moments in our history.

Let me take a moment to talk about this history and what it means for Canada.

Last autumn, my wife, Sharon, and I travelled to Belgium and laid a wreath at the Passchendaele Canadian Memorial.

We did so in memory of the 16 000 Canadians who were killed there over a span of three weeks in the autumn of 1917.

Afterwards, we visited a museum that tells the stories of soldiers and civilians from many countries who were impacted by this battle.

There were an estimated 500 000 casualties in total during the 100 days of the Battle of Passchendaele.

All to gain a mere eight kilometres of territory—roughly the distance from here to Carleton University.

Such was the war on the Western Front.

Our soldiers fought bravely, and suffered greatly—as did their families and loved ones.

Movies like Passchendaele provide us with a window onto another time and place—in this case, the battlefields, trenches and hospitals of the First World War.

A great movie can help to connect us with our history, to spur us to ask questions, to want to learn more, to remember. 

And, of course, a great movie entertains and moves us, as Passchendaele surely does.

I want to get to the movie, but before I do, I’d like to thank all of our event partners this evening and everyone who was involved in this production.

Not least, that includes actor and director Paul Gross and Niv Fichman, who are here with us tonight. Paul was also here at Rideau Hall earlier this year to be invested as an officer of the Order of Canada!

With tonight’s screening, you’ll see one of the many reasons why Paul Gross received this honour.

And you’ll also see why we chose this wonderful film as our English-language feature at Rideau Hall Movie Nights this year.

Thank you for being here, and have a wonderful evening under the stars!