Rideau Hall, Friday, June 13, 2008

Welcome to Rideau Hall. My husband Jean-Daniel and I are pleased to be joined this morning by journalists, including a few former colleagues, representatives of news organizations, intellectuals, free thinkers.

Welcome to Art Matters, created as a space for reflection and dialogue on the arts and culture. And thank you for joining us around this large table, which we hope will set the stage for what promises to be a lively discussion and celebration of your art.

For indeed, holding an Art Matters forum in conjunction with the Michener Award for Journalism leaves no doubt that journalism is an art.

The art of reporting on the world, of bringing it to our doorsteps and helping us to understand it.

The art of touching hearts and opening minds, of changing mindsets in lasting and profound ways.

The art of putting truth in the service of freedom, as the Michener Awards Foundation’s motto so eloquently expresses.

Such is the journalism practised by the 2007 Michener Award finalists, whose journalistic integrity remains clear-sighted, engaged and focused on the common good.

As you may have guessed, this edition of Art Matters is particularly meaningful to me, because I was once a journalist before I found myself making the headlines.

Though I am no longer practising the profession, I cannot remain indifferent to the challenges facing journalists today.

All too often, I continue to see perceptions overtaking facts, strong emotions overtaking ideas, speed overtaking thought.

I wonder about the impartiality of information in an increasingly competitive environment, subject to market-driven logic.

And I worry that the complexity of the world, which requires time for reflection and a more nuanced approach, will take a backseat to the demands of machines that produce and market information.

These issues speak to the democratic health of our societies.

Jean-Daniel and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and to learning how you are using your own insight, diligence and awareness to report on this country we share and the vitality of its civil society, which is its backbone.

Without this active and engaged society, the country would surely crumble.

And I am speaking to you as the governor general. As someone who travels across Canada to meet with people and get a glimpse into their lives, to learn about their achievements, to create spaces for dialogue and solidarity, to expand their networks.

What strikes me most in this adventure upon which I have embarked is the determination with which people in this country, women, men, young and old, are searching for solutions to the challenges of our time.

That, and the desire to help one another, which I witness from one end of this country to the other, from the smallest village in the Far North to the most bustling urban centre.

And I am inspired by the energy of our youth, by their innovative, rallying, often luminous ideas, by their daring, their socially minded vision of the world.

Too often, I still hear people referring to youth as our future. But what about right now?

Yet there they stand, the lifeblood of this country, asking nothing more than to contribute to our well-being, if only we would give them the chance.

I see my role as the time I spend listening, observing, experiencing, then taking stock, informing others and raising awareness.

My duties have also taken me abroad on State and official visits—14 so far—giving me the opportunity to assess how the wider world perceives us, our values, our actions, our contributions and our view on the world.

Of course, the journalist in me remains passionate about all of the stories I have heard.

These stories are such an amazing treasure, a side of humanity that has so generously and truthfully been shared with me.

If you only knew how much I would love to tell each of these stories.

There is so much to explore, so much to discover, so much to share in this country where anything is possible. Our country is so vast, so rich and diverse that we could never really take its full measure.

Today, we have an opportunity to engage in dialogue, and I am eager to hear what you have to say.

Thank you for coming and joining us this morning.