Promoting
Cross Cultural Understanding In
Canadian Society
Remarks
by Hon. David Kilgour at a Roundtable
in Room 237-C, Centre Block,
House of Commons, Ottawa
April 7, 2003
Vos
excellences, leaders religieux distingués, sénateurs et
députés,
mesdames et messieurs :
My
allotted time from my friend Secretary
of State Jean (Augustine) is very
short, so let me get right to
the point.
Plusieurs
actes de violences et pertes de
vies pendant le 20ième
siècle sont attribuables à des
tyrans tels qu’Adolf Hitler, Joseph Staline, Pol Pot et plusieurs
autres dont leurs idéologies respectives
abhorraient la religion et souvent aussi, la diversité
culturelle/linguistique.
After 1989, many people of good will hoped there
would be constitutional space
for diversity everywhere on this
shrinking planet. Instead, harassment
and much worse are now occurring
in too many lands among members
of differing faith, cultural and
linguistic communities. Normally,
it’s members of a larger group
picking on a smaller one; no country,
including Canada, is immune to
the age-old phenomenon.
Can there ever be sustainable peace on earth until
there is genuine harmony among
our religious, cultural and linguistic
communities domestically and internationally?
Is it enough today for, say, a political/religious/cultural/ linguistic leader
to speak of peace and love when
some of their own supporters are
actively persecuting persons of
other faith, cultural or linguistic
communities? How can we all learn
to welcome diversity or “otherness”
in these vital areas? We Edmontonians
have lessons to learn like everyone
else, but, ladies and gentlemen,
I don’t think I was ever prouder
than the day several years ago
when hundreds if not thousands
of us of all faiths rallied at
our city hall to protest the persecution
of our Muslim brothers and sisters
in former Yugoslavia.
At an interfaith service of prayer for peace in
this city on March 23rd,
in which a number of us here today
participated, the concluding prayer
included this thought:
“If a man said”,’It’s not one gesture of love which
will save humanity’...There would
never be friendship and peace
on earth...and Peace depends on
each irreplacable one of us.”
This morning, I hope that your individual insights
will teach us all and those many
watching on CPAC beyond how cross-cultural
understanding can be enhanced
from sea-to-sea-to-sea in Canada
and perhaps beyond it.
Thank you.
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