Christian
Students as
Leaders in Public Life
Remarks
by Hon. David Kilgour, Member
of Parliament for Edmonton Southeast
and
Secretary of State for Asia Pacific
at the Laurentian
Leadership
Centre
of Trinity Western University
Ottawa,
Ontario
October
9, 2002
Ladies
and Gentlemen, honoured guests,
students and staff: thank you
for allowing me to celebrate the
Grand Opening of the Laurentian
Leadership Centre with you.
The
Laurentian Leadership Centre
The
Laurentian Leadership Centre in
Ottawa is the reality of a long-awaited
dream. Not only is it an
extension of the mission of Trinity
Western University, which is to
develop Godly Christian Leaders
who serve God and people in the
various marketplaces of life,
but it represents a vision to
see Godly Christian Leaders serving
God and people here in the capital
of Canada.
There
are three aspects of this program
that set it apart from all others
operating within the city.
1. It brings students from the Trinity
campus in British Columbia to
the middle of Canada—and the centre
of Canadian influence, domestically
and internationally.
One
of the main divisions that continue
to plague Canada is the conflict
between the east and the west.
When a "westerner" is
transplanted in the east, they
are faced with an almost entirely
different culture. For Trinity
students, this is an opportunity
to broaden their understanding
of how Canada functions, and the
role of Central Canada in the
policies and the policy-making
of our country. But it is
also a challenge: understanding
a new perspective takes a willingness
to be open-minded about the views
of others—not just being critical
about them.
This
is also an opportunity for Trinity
students to voice their observations
and concerns within the offices
of influential people in Ottawa.
Being involved in the culture,
if only for a short time, will,
hopefully, add depth to their
understanding of the daily life
of Ottawa.
2. The
program helps students to be "work-force
ready".
This
is an intense program. The
students attend classes in addition
to their internships. First
they learn the theory, and then
they learn how to put that theory
into practice with hands-on learning
experiences. There are many
different opportunities within
the program—jobs in business,
in media and publications, in
research, and political office.
Whatever the interests of the
student might be, they have the
chance to explore potential career
opportunities for the future.
They can make contacts or set
up internships as follow-up opportunities
after graduation, or even during
the summer.
As
an employer, it is important that
new employees understand their
job as quickly as possible.
It is rare that you find someone
who already possesses the knowledge
and skills to work within a specialized
office—for example, on Parliament
Hill. This program will
equip students to be “work-force
ready”—to be able to fit in to
the position with less time lost
in the adjustment and training
period.
Most
importantly, the student has the
opportunity to explore their own
talents and abilities. They
have the chance to try a variety
of roles within their office,
and to discover their specific
strengths and weaknesses.
Often it takes people years to
find the job they were “made”
to do. This program gives
students a head start in finding
that job or career.
3.Third, the
Laurentian Leadership Centre is
a chance for the Christian community
to be a light within the city
of Ottawa.
"Secularism"
has been called the religion of
Canada. What we have seen
though, is an increase in demand
for the values that are held by
Christians to be present in public
workplaces.
Values
like integrity. We need
leaders to strive for knowledge
and wisdom in their fields.
Honour has, tragically, become
a casualty to self interest and
personal gain. We need leaders
who understand that their actions
need to match their words.
Honesty is vital to the growth
of an organization and the trust
that the public places in it.
Christians
talk a lot about servant-leadership.
We need leaders who are willing
to serve the people they lead.
Democracy is the rule of the people—or
at least it is supposed to be.
As a member of parliament, I have
been elected by the people of
Edmonton Southeast to serve them.
If I fail in this, I will have
failed the very core purpose of
my job. If we choose to
live like Christ, we are choosing
to serve the people around us.
If we fail in this, we fail in
one of the most important requirements
of the faith.
People
generally do not have a lot of
respect for those who constantly
change their minds on the important
issues that face us every day.
We label them as "hypocrites"—people
who say one thing and do another.
Our world is searching for leaders
who are trustworthy—those who
say they will do something and
get it done: those who believe
strongly about something and hold
to it in the face of opposition.
Christians believe in standing
for the truth—a commitment to
principle which our world finds
admirable.
The
internship program itself is an
incredible opportunity: university
students in their 3rd
or 4th year having
the chance to work with people
who are influential in their fields,
and are supervised by people who
are interested in investing in
their lives and careers on a daily
basis. No where else can an internship
like this be found. Students have
the opportunity to learn the skills
involved in office management,
but more importantly, the skills
involved in creating and implementing
policies and projects associated
with their offices.
Leanne
Neufeldt is the intern at my office.
There are several important objectives
that are a part of her internship:
- She is expected to learn how to
correspond and dialogue with constituents
and colleagues that contact the
office,
- She is expected to learn how to
research and write speeches for
me for my various meetings and
events,
- She is to acquaint herself
with my job as a member of parliament
and as a secretary of state,
- And she is to learn the role of
each employee in the office; whether
they are policy advisors, the
press secretary, administrative
assistants—all jobs are important
in their own way.
In
addition to the concrete though,
I hope—and believe—that she will
learn much about her abilities.
That she will discover her strengths
and abilities, and that she will
be encouraged to develop these
things further. Above all,
I hope that she can come away
with the knowledge that the work
in our office is not just about
being re-elected in four years,
but that it is about the people
we serve, and the lives we can
change for the better.
As
a politician, I know that there
is a lot of cynicism towards the
men and women in parliament—corruption,
hypocrisy, greed—these are words
people use to describe politicians.
But I want to encourage you to
not allow such thinking to keep
you from pursuing positions of
influence. A difference
can be made—you can be an influence
in this city—but you must remember
why you came here in the first
place.
Thank you.
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