Ottawa, Thursday, September 11, 2014
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Thank you for that warm welcome.
I am delighted to be here to celebrate Linguistic Duality Day and the 45th anniversary of the Official Languages Act.
And I am especially pleased to be speaking to so many public servants, because Canada’s public service must set the example as a model bilingual workplace in order to inspire all Canadians.
We are so fortunate to live in a country where both French and English are recognized, celebrated and spoken every day.
Bilingualism is one of Canada’s greatest strengths, and the story of how English and French speakers came to peacefully coexist and work together is one of our important contributions to world history.
It is a story of compromise, partnership and diversity, a story of which we should all be very proud.
Learning a new language enriches our understanding and allows us to connect with other people and cultures in a different way. Bilingualism is a wonderful gift that can lead to many opportunities, both personally and professionally. This is particularly true in Canada, and in our increasingly globalized world.
I have experienced this in my own life.
During my high school years in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, I was enrolled in French classes for four years, and throughout those years, I mostly just memorized vocabulary. And that was all I knew of French until I was 37 years old, when I learned that I was being considered for the position of principal at McGill University—a job I knew would require bilingualism.
I decided then and there to learn French, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I think it is safe to say that my wife, Sharon, as well as our five daughters, would say the same of their own experiences learning a second language.
Sharon has had a lifelong love of French. She studied it in high school and continued to do so after moving to Toronto, completing the Alliance Francaise certificate program with a degree distinction. When we moved to Montréal, she and I wanted our daughters to study in French. We both felt it was very important for the girls to embrace French and to experience the richness of bilingualism.
I’m happy to report that each of them grew up to share our passion for languages. All five of our daughters are bilingual—in fact they speak three to five languages each—and our grandchildren are well on their way to being bilingual too.
I’m proud to be part of a family that has embraced bilingualism, and I am just as proud to serve Canada as governor general—a bilingual position that allows me to work in both French and English, every day.
As public servants, you also have the opportunity to work in English and in French, and to improve your ability to speak, write and understand a second language. I encourage each of you to make the most of this opportunity, and to embrace linguistic duality, in the workplace and beyond.
There are challenges to this, of course, but it is important for members of the public service to be leaders in terms of achieving bilingualism.
I believe that a second language can enrich your lives in countless ways.
Canada is a better, stronger country because of its linguistic duality. Let us continue to learn and celebrate both of our official languages, today and every day!
Thank you.