Monsieur
President Domji, Vos Excellences,
Colleagues, Messieurs et Madames, Chers
amis,
As
many of you may know, Mobina
and I had the great honor
of having lunch with his
Highness the Aga Khan here
in Ottawa two weeks ago
- twice!
The
experience was exceptional,
to say the least.
He is, of course,
a leader of great dignity
and grace. He also has deep understanding and respect
for Canadians, and a profound
vision for the role we could
play in the world.
With
the challenges facing the
new government in Afghanistan
in mind, His Highness described
Canada as one of the most
successful pluralistic societies
on earth - one where all
are welcome and are able
to move forward within civil
society in a peaceful and
equitable manner.
“Without
any doubt in my mind...that
is something that is unique
to Canada. It is an amazing global human asset,” His Highness
said.
His
Highness has captured part
of what makes Canada special:
Unlike some countries
where assimilation is the
objective, diversity does
not undermine the Canadian
identity.
It is
the Canadian identity.
In
my mind, the person that
we are honouring today embodies
all that His Highness described.
I
smiled when I read the Hill
Times headline announcing
Mobina’s appointment, “From
a refugee to a Senator.”
What
could better represent our
Canadian committment to
opportunity and respect
for all?
Who
could better reflect the
spirit of Canada than someone
who speaks 6 languages?!
And
who better to be honored
at an event celebrating
‘Community Participation
in Public Life’ than someone
who has devoted much of
her life to just that?
“From
refugee to senator” leaves
out a few steps!
Mobina
has made the celebration
of diversity and the defence
of human rights her life’s
work.
From
her early work in immigration
law, to her endless promotion
of gender and race equality,
to her tireless efforts
to end racial discrimination,
Mobina has proven the very
point we are celebrating
this evening: there is a
need for committed, principled
individuals to assume active
roles in public life. More importantly, the differences they can
make when they do so are
immense.
