REMARKS BY PRESIDENT ROBINSON AT A LUNCHEON HOSTED BY GOVERNOR GENERAL, OTTAWA, 24TH AUGUST 1994
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT ROBINSON AT A LUNCHEON HOSTED BY GOVERNOR GENERAL, OTTAWA, 24TH AUGUST 1994
- I am delighted to be here in this serene and beautiful capital of Canada. I am especially grateful to you, Excellency, for your warm and generous welcome.
- Relations between our two countries are extremely good at the formal level but also, and perhaps of even more importance, at what might be described as the informal or non-institutional level. This, of course, causes no surprise given the many and close ties between us. After all, Canada has provided a home to hundreds of thousands of Irish men and women who, for one reason or another, left Ireland to seek a new life for themselves and their families.
- These people and their descendants provide a living link between our countries, a link that is reinforced by a history which has much in common. The most obvious common legacy is the English language and literature to which Ireland has made a significant contribution. This shared asset is a valuable cultural resource. There are other elements forming part of our common heritage which are no less vibrant. Both countries draw on the well of the Common Law; both value and are deeply committed to parliamentary democracy and to the rule of law. The protection and vindication of fundamental human rights are key elements in our respective concepts of civil society and in our foreign and domestic policies.
- In our approach to international affairs we also have much in common, in particular, our rejection of the use of force or the threat of force, as a solution to problems in international relations. In Ireland we have a keen appreciation of Canada's pioneering role in the development of UN peace-keeping. Indeed, I have just come from your monument to UN peace-keeping where I had the opportunity to pay homage to those who served gallantly the cause of world peace and those who in some cases made the supreme sacrifice in that cause. Irish and Canadian men and women have served together in peace-keeping operations not only in the United Nations but also in the CSCE and in the European Community Monitoring Mission in the former Yugoslavia, thereby forming yet further bonds between us.
- The world is changing at an unprecedented rate. Ireland is affected by this as is Canada. In a period of rapid change people can become anxious and apprehensive about their future, in particular, when old certainties no longer offer the firm guidance they once did. In such circumstances, Canada sets an excellent example to all of us in its conscious openness to change and in its express adoption of a policy of multiculturalism. Canada's efforts to create a society that is inclusive, in which people of many distinct and diverse cultural backgrounds can live together in peace and harmony is truly inspirational.
- Excellence, je suis certaine que nos deux pays pourront, avec espoir et confiance, faire face à un avenir qui comportera de nombreux défis certes, mais qui offrira de nombreux perspectives, Bátir un avenir de paix et de prospérité ne sera pas facile dans l'état actuel du monde, mais c'est bien là mon souhait pour vous, Excellence, et pour le Canada et son people.
- Vive le Canada, Vive l'Irlande!
- Merci beaucoup.