Michaëlle
Jean, Governor General of Canada, Visits Mexico
Ottawa, December 6, 2009 – Their Excellencies
the Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, and her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, arrived today in the
United Mexican States to undertake a State visit from December 6 to 9, 2009. (Office of the Governor General of Canada)
1. Speech before the Mexican Senate (December 8)
2. Speech during Luncheon Hosted by the Canada-Mexico Chamber of Commerce (December 8)
1.
Michaëlle Jean Speech before the
Mexican Senate (As prepared for delivery)
It gives me great pleasure and is an honor for me,
as governor general of Canada, to speak in a Chamber that is so essential to democratic life in Mexico, especially this year,
as we celebrate 65 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries.
I would first like to mention the unshakeable, willing
and unparalleled ties of friendship that have developed over the years between our people and our institutions.
It is certainly no secret—and I am proud to
say—that Mexico holds a special place in the hearts of Canadians.
Moreover, our commitment to increasing security, improving
prosperity and promoting democratic values across the entire hemisphere make Canada and Mexico key partners.
It is vital to the well-being of our respective peoples
that we work together to fight the threat of sophisticated, organized crime networks that have spread across the entire continent
with their illegal activities.
I am referring especially to the trafficking of people,
narcotics and influence, and to the corruption, money laundering and violence that are ravaging our communities.
In order to succeed, we must join efforts and establish
joint strategies because, as we all know, the situation is extremely serious.
This willingness to strengthen hemispheric cooperation
is, in fact, one of the cornerstones of Canada’s foreign policy and we salute the efforts you are making along these
same, promising, lines.
We must be bold and build on the dynamic relationship
between Canada and Mexico, and this in a number of important aspects of society.
Not only are we major trading partners, thanks to
the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, but we have also implemented innovative mechanisms, such as the Canada‑Mexico
Partnership, launched in 2004, to promote co‑operation and dialogue in such areas as investment, innovation, agribusiness,
housing, the environment, human capital development, energy, and labor mobility.
Moreover, the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program,
which has been in operation for the past 35 years and allows us to receive temporary workers from Mexico, is seen around the
world as a model with a great deal of promise.
This State visit is an opportunity for us to explore
new areas for co-operation and partnership in order to diversify our investments and business activities. We can certainly
do much better and we must double our efforts and stretch our imaginations.
We also share a commitment to multilateralism and
maintain a productive dialogue within several international organizations, such as the United Nations, the Organization of
American States, the G-20, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the Organization for Economic Co‑operation
and Development.
There are so many opportunities for us to build on
our existing solidarity at this pivotal moment in our collective history, as we face a major crisis of values, one that we
cannot reduce solely to its financial component and that demands that we redefine an ethic of sharing and hemispheric responsibility
in this era of globalization.
In addition to these many ties are nearly 400 agreements
between universities and several studies centers and programs that promote academic exchange and an improved sharing of knowledge
between our two countries.
I would say that the same excitement and exuberance
can be found in the cultural ties forged between the creative minds of our two countries and of which our peoples are so fond.
As proof, we need look no further than the programming
at the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato, one of the largest artistic gatherings in Latin America and one of
the largest multidisciplinary festivals in the world, whose 37th edition, which ended last month, featured several Québécois
artists.
Our artists share that desire to increase the opportunities
for collaboration and to enrich the cultural diversity that distinguishes our histories and lands with their unique contributions.
We are delighted because, like Octavio Paz, we believe
that “[a]ll cultures are born out of mingling, meetings and clashes,” and, as he warns us, “[c]onversely,
civilizations die from isolation.”
And it is precisely from a desire to highlight the
close ties that bind us that my husband, Jean‑Daniel Lafond, our delegation and I will be going out to meet with the
people and organizations that form the backbone of Mexican society—from entrepreneurs to students, from non-governmental
organizations to decision-making bodies, from artists to women’s associations—here in the centre of the country
and in Chiapas, in Tuxtla Gutiérrez and San Cristóbal de las Casas.
I like diplomacy on a human scale and our dearest
wish, in a reinterpretation of Carlos Fuentes’ beautiful phrase, is to work together to ensure the continuity of a few
ideas over time.
It is therefore in this spirit of solidarity and fellowship
that we begin this State visit in Mexico, with an unwavering willingness to remind our respective populations that we are
brothers and sisters, in spirit and in heart, and with the hope of creating new opportunities for co-operation.
Thank you very much for offering me this special invitation
to address you and I wish long life to the strong, cherished friendship between Canada and Mexico!
And I would like to extend our best wishes for your
happiness and prosperity as we approach the bicentenary of the Mexican War of Independence and the centenary of the Mexican
Revolution!
• • •
2.
Michaëlle Jean Speech during Luncheon
Hosted by the Canada-Mexico Chamber of Commerce (As prepared for delivery)
It is here, in the “land of the feathered serpent,”
the birthplace of pre-Columbian civilizations, that I began this journey taking me from the north to the center of the Americas.
This is not my first trip to Mexico, and it will not
be my last.
I travelled the country from north to south before
starting university, and that trip was a defining moment of my youth.
I also travelled here as a Canadian public television
journalist, and had the opportunity to reflect on several aspects of the trade relations between our two countries and to
consider the social realities that prevailed in the 1990s.
The experience gave me a deeper understanding of the
major challenges Mexico was facing while the North American Free Trade Agreement was being negotiated.
And I am just as captivated today by this land of
amazing contrasts, one of whose many—and certainly not its least—riches is the warmth of its people.
The journey across Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica
that I am embarking on is an opportunity for me to continue thinking about this continent we share.
It is a reflection fed by my own story.
I was born in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas.
Haiti, the land of my childhood, the land of my ancestors,
Aboriginal and African.
Haiti, a country I knew when it was torn apart, which
my family was forced to flee because of persecution, like so many others, at the hands of a regime of terror.
And they chose a country where anything is possible,
Canada, where my roots are taking hold more firmly every day, and spreading from their origins in the south ever northward.
A country that, just like Mexico, and all of the Americas
really, was created by the meeting of peoples with time-honored traditions and European explorers, followed closely by people
from all over the world.
A country created by an ideal based on civic-mindedness
that is rooted in democracy.
An ideal that established a peaceful and prosperous
society, where the notion of equality is our philosophy.
Needless to say, our origins and our destinies in
this land that is America blend together and are much more closely related than we might think.
Recently, successive waves of continental migration
have redefined the nature of our bonds, enriching them with new perspectives. North America, Central America, the Caribbean
and South America—all these worlds are becoming more and more intertwined, creating a more blended and convergent society.
In Canada, for example, a dynamic Mexican community
is contributing to our prosperity and originality.
It is estimated that Mexico receives the highest number
of Canadian tourists in Latin America, not counting those who decide to live here.
A large number of Mexicans make the trip to Canada,
including thousands of temporary workers under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary
this year.
A broad-based flow of people, ideas, cultures, goods
and capital has developed between Canada and Mexico since we first established diplomatic relations sixty-five years ago.
We are cooperating more and more and at all levels,
in the areas of human rights, governance, the electoral system, parliamentary affairs, arts and culture, academia and the
environment, not to mention security and the urgent need to establish joint strategies to counter the threat of sophisticated,
organized crime networks that have spread across the entire continent and ravage our communities.
Another case in point is the Canadian International
Development Agency, which is working relentlessly to enhance the exchange of knowledge, models and experiences between Mexican
and Canadian partners.
Through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, NGOs
are active in the field, implementing a large number of projects to promote the value of democracy and social engagement.
I will be going to witness first-hand the work they are accomplishing, in a spirit of solidarity.
Mexico’s economy ranks among the world’s
fifteen largest, and the country is Canada’s largest trading partner in Latin America.
It is the fifth largest destination for Canadian exports,
and Canada is the second largest destination for Mexican exports.
It is estimated that there are 2,200 Canadian
businesses in Mexico.
But I know it is not you, as members of the Canada-Mexico
Chamber of Commerce, who need to be told of the vitality of relations between our two countries.
A vitality that has grown since the Canada-Mexico
Partnership came into effect in 2004.
On the trade front alone, bilateral trade between
Canada and Mexico rose to over US$26 billion in 2008, a nearly nine percent increase over the previous year.
However, we cannot discuss Canada-Mexico relations
without mentioning the United States, a powerful partner with which we share a border, a history, a hemisphere and, since
the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed in 1994, a vast market in which our economies are integrated.
Since NAFTA came into force, Canadian and Mexican
imports and exports have increased exponentially.
And our trilateral relations have continued to intensify.
Consider the trilateral Security and Prosperity Partnership
of North America, the North American Security Council and the joint positions that our countries develop on major issues through
multilateral forums such as the Organization of American States, the Summit of the Americas, the G20, and the United Nations,
to name just a few.
It is these underlying bonds that serve as the basis
for effective collaboration among our leaders, who last met this past summer in Guadalajara. Next year, it will be Canada’s
turn to host the next North American Leaders’ Summit, and we are thrilled at the prospect.
At a time when there are so many large economic blocks,
and more particularly, in the wake of the financial crisis that is currently rocking the entire world, Mexico and Canada,
with the support of the United States, must be committed to increasing not only trade, but the number of opportunities for
their citizens to improve their living conditions and open themselves to the world, and to further diversifying and energizing
our partnerships.
And in this regard, we must be bold, show some imagination,
and exploit the full potential of our relationship. I am convinced we can do better, that we can do more.
And we must do it in a reciprocal manner.
Not having openness, progress and possibilities would
only bring isolation, inequalities and exclusion, as much in your backyard as in ours.
I firmly believe that co-operation and business must
increase our prosperity and stimulate sustainable development that is respectful of people, their history and their culture.
I believe that cooperation and business must also
respect the ecological integrity of the places from which we draw our resources.
To exploit resources irresponsibly is to jeopardize
the future of generations to come.
What is at stake each time is much more than a short-term
gain.
And I would like to take this opportunity to welcome
the signing last month, here, in Mexico City, of a memorandum of understanding between Canada, Mexico and the United States,
on wilderness protection.
The more our respective interests reach beyond our
borders and encompass the interests of the wider world, the more fulfilled we will be and the stronger we will make our joint
commitment to the human family.
The decisions and practices Canadian businesses adopt
when they expand abroad have an impact on the lives of so many women, men and children that they must be guided by values
other than the lure of profit, performance indices or short-term success.
The same values as those we defend within our own
borders.
When we make decisions that could lead to exclusion,
inequality, injustice or poverty, we create a social problem with devastating consequences that comes at a very high price.
That is why we need the courage to reflect on the
consequences of our decisions and to rethink how we do things, while focusing on the greater good.
That is what I call responsible development.
With the advent of globalization, people are being
brought together and new coalitions of interest are forming, full of promise. Now more than ever, the time has come to redefine
the ties that bind us across the entire hemisphere.
We are beginning a new era of solidarity and friendship
in the Americas, and Canada would like to play a key role in this move towards an openness to the world.
We need to pool our strengths, while respecting our
differences and for the good of all.
That is what Canada and Mexico, along with all the
nations in the Americas, should now be focusing on, strong in the friendship that binds us from north to south, and from south
to north.
Thank you very much. To the solidarity, cooperation
and friendship that Canada and Mexico share!
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Office of the Governor General of Canada, Mexico City, Speeches delivered on December 8, 2009
