May 3, 2010
1 May 2010
Windsor, NS
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Headmaster [Joseph] Seagram,
Faculty,
Alumni,
Parents,
Students,
Cadets of 254 Corps,
Cadets of the 2497 Black Watch Cadet Pipe and Drum Band, thank you for coming such a long way to be here today – there's nothing quite as stirring as the sound of the pipes.
It's a pleasure to be here with you on this special occasion…
…to mark not only your Annual Review, but the Centennial of your Cadet Corps.
I've had occasion to review more than a couple parades in my time as Minister of National Defence…
…and I can say you certainly do look sharp.
You've all worked very hard to prepare for this day and it shows.
But as remarkable as your drill, your dress, and your deportment may be, it is what you have learned as Cadets that most impresses me.
You, and thousands like you in Sea, Army, and Air Cadets – and in the Junior Canadian Rangers program – from coast to coast to coast are learning valuable skills.
Your officers and instructors have taught you how to present yourselves, how to do drill…
…they've taught you about fieldcraft, and other subjects that may have fostered your interest in the Canadian Forces.
But the most important skills you will march off this parade square with are not the military ones.
They are the assets and values you will be able to take with you wherever you go…
…to university…
…to the workforce…
…in your social life.
Characteristics like self-discipline…
…respect…
…integrity…
…leadership…
…good citizenship…
…a desire to be physically fit…
…and a recognition of the importance of teamwork.
Now, between your parades, your boot polishing, and everything else that keeps you busy as cadets…
…you may not have realized that you were learning more than what was in your training manuals.
But your teachers, your friends, and your parents will have.
They may not be able to put their finger on it.
But they will recognize that you – and the thousands of Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers from across this country – will be the leaders and the model citizens of tomorrow.
You have big shoes to fill.
But the Army cadet motto – Acer Acerpori or ‘Like the maple, so the sapling' – sums up the path you're on.
And you're well on your way.
Finally, to the teachers and Cadet Instructors, I'd like to say thank you…
…for doing such exemplary work in helping the cadets prepare for today.
And for shaping them and preparing them for tomorrow.
The impressions you make through your continued dedication and selfless service will mark not only their lives, but the future of our country.
Thank you.
