Thank you for your warm welcome. I am delighted to be here in New York.
This truly is a remarkable city.
As Pearl S. Buck once wrote:
“As for New York City, it is a place apart. There is not its match in any other country in the world.”
This city is one of the world’s great meeting places, where people come together with one overriding sense: opportunity. Business, culture, politics, learning and, increasingly, innovation—all occur with a heightened sense of possibility on this great stage.
That is why it is so important for Canadians to have an energetic presence here. As the largest city in America, our very close friend and partner on this continent, New York is a gateway for multitudes of Canadians.
I would like to thank Canada’s Consulate General in New York for being the invaluable point of contact for so many, and for hosting this reception.
The staff of this office work hard to connect Canadians to the countless opportunities found within this city and beyond.
They bring Americans and people of other nationalities into contact with Canadians, helping to build the networks and people-to-people ties that are so essential to success.
The Canadian Technology Accelerator program is a wonderful example of the Consulate General’s important work. Within the past year, through this program and related initiatives, the Consulate has enabled over 300 companies with high-growth potential to further develop and grow, both here in New York and internationally.
The CTA is an excellent example of an initiative that builds on strong research and development infrastructure in Canada and then finds creative ways to grow and commercialize that technology in a global market. The Canadian Technology Accelerators in digital media and in clean tech connect technology entrepreneurs with the New York business community. They do so by offering mentoring opportunities and membership at local incubators, where they can form business relationships with other leaders in their field.
Startups in information and communication technology, digital and social media, gaming, clean technologies and life sciences, among others, only stand to benefit from time spent in the global hub that is New York.
Another example of the Consulate’s work in building networks is digital diplomacy.
The Mission has developed social media platforms to harness digital networks and technologies to promote our bilateral and foreign policy goals. I understand that my visit is known as #GGinNYC.
This initiative brings the diplomatic community together via new media platforms to address issues of diplomacy and technology, including the impact of new technology on the conduct of foreign affairs and the ways in which governments use new technology to promote their interests effectively.
The learning opportunities are immense in a creative environment such as this. Time and again in my life, I have seen the wonderful things that can happen when diverse people come together to innovate and create.
In the same vein, I would venture to say that there is no relationship between nations as mutually beneficial as the one that exists between Canada and the United States.
That relationship, of course, is ultimately all about people. We value democracy, diversity, the rule of law, good government and free markets.
And today, we are living in a time of rapid and profound change.
Our context is now thoroughly global, which means that cities such as New York are being joined by others around the world as beacons of hope and opportunity.
There is no doubt that, given the ubiquity and speed of change, Canadians and Americans must find ways to innovate and adapt.
In this, we can help each other. We will no doubt be stronger working together than alone.
Together, we can build smarter, more caring and prosperous societies. As we do so, let us strive to balance equality of opportunity with excellence.
On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to thank you for being here and for your respective contributions to strengthening the Canada-U.S. relationship.
I wish you continued success.
