REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE LUNCH HOSTED IN HER HONOUR
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE LUNCH HOSTED IN HER HONOUR BY THE HON. STÉPHANE DION
It is a great pleasure to be here today in the elegant and diverse city of Montreal, surely one of the most important cultural hubs in North America. From perhaps the most significant ecclesiastical architecture in North America to the cinematography of Denys Arcand, from the heart stopping performances of the internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil to the writings of Mordecai Richler and to the somewhat less uplifting lyrics of Leonard Cohen - we might ask ourselves what is in the water of Montreal and suggest that it might profitably be bottled for export.
I am pleased to know that the Irish in Montreal have always been energetic and engaged contributors to the extraordinary creativity to be found here - since as far back as 1663, the first documented recording of Irish settlement in Montreal. Over 150 years later, the Notre Dame Basilica, one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic revival architecture was designed by James O’Donnell, an Irish immigrant who arrived in Montreal, from New York, in 1824.
It is in the art of revelry however that the Irish can be said to have excelled - who else could have made a two mile walk in the middle of March, in subzero conditions, usually in falling snow, into an unbroken 175 year tradition called the St. Patrick’s Parade?
Today Montreal is home to some sixty thousand people of Irish origin, and far more who claim Irish descent. Many participate in the many active Irish societies which keep the Irish tradition here vibrant and strong. They are proud of their Canadian heritage and they cherish their Irish roots. Not only are the cultural links between Ireland and this part of Canada very strong - there are also growing economic links between Ireland and Montreal. The Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce was founded in Montreal and now has chapters in Toronto and Vancouver. Investment in Ireland has also been significant, and I am thinking in particular of Alcan’s investment in Aughinish Alumina.
When they visit Ireland, as very many Canadians do each year, all but the most recently arrived Irish immigrants will find the country they remember has changed greatly in recent years. It is my honour and privilege, on this first State Visit to Canada by a President of Ireland, to represent that new Ireland to the people of Canada.
Ireland has undergone a sustained period of high economic growth for many years now. Rather than just the upswing of a boom and bust cycle, this development represents a very real gearing up of our economy. While much remains to be done, Ireland now possesses a modern, high-tech, developed economy on a par with the rest of Western Europe. This has had a significant and long-term impact on employment levels and living standards for our people. In only ten years, private consumption per capita has gone from 65% of the EU average to 90%.
A thriving economy has gone hand in hand with dramatic social changes. Today Ireland has one of the youngest and most outward looking populations in the European Union. Well travelled, multi-lingual and computer literate, these first citizens of the information society are truly our most valuable resource. The arts have undergone a dramatic revival - the names of Nobel prize winner Seamus Heaney or Booker prize winner Roddy Doyle need no introduction to anyone and nor does the renowned choreography of Riverdance. We have become a confident dynamic people, proud of our past but willing to embrace change and to take ownership of our future.
Perhaps the greatest and seemingly the swiftest change in Ireland has been the transforming of the long standing Northern Ireland question through the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. I say seemingly, because in reality the Agreement is the outcome of a long and intense political process going back many years, and is an object lesson in the value of never giving up, of continuing dialogue in the face of setbacks, and of a determination to succeed. These are qualities which the Irish and British Governments, and the parties participating in the process, have needed very much in recent years, and I pay tribute here to Minister David Andrews, who led our negotiating team in the final year. They are also, I know, very typically Canadian qualities, most recently demonstrated perhaps in Canada’s successful conclusion of the Ottawa Agreement outlawing landmines, which I was very pleased to note has recently entered into force, having been ratified by 40 countries, of whom Ireland was one of the first.
The support of Canada and other friendly nations was critical in achieving the Good Friday Agreement, and is acknowledged and deeply appreciated by the Irish people. In Canada’s case, that support has been most tangibly expressed in Canada’s support for the International Fund for Ireland, and especially by the service of General John de Chastelain and his staff, for which Ireland owes an ever-increasing debt of gratitude, as he continues his efforts on our behalf. As a co-Chairman of the talks which led to the Agreement, he was able as a Canadian to bring to the process the reputation for fairness, commitment to peace, equality and respect for traditions which Canada has earned since the time of Lester Pearson and indeed earlier.
As well as direct support, the moral support of governments and peoples around the world, of which people in Ireland are keenly aware, has been essential in reinforcing the willingness of the participants to reach an Agreement, and in demonstrating that those who reject the way forward which the Agreement offers will get no support anywhere. This moral backing was never so evident as in the reaction to the terrible bombing in Omagh in August, which I believe and pray may be a dying kick of politically inspired violence which is now at last being expelled from the Irish body politic.
The support of Canada for the peace process in Ireland is only the greatest example of a strong and friendly bilateral relationship between Ireland and Canada in many spheres. Ireland and Canada share an outlook on the importance of international law and the maintenance of the United Nations system, and on the importance of constructive reform of the U.N. to enable it to meet the challenges of the 21st century. We famously share a commitment to peacekeeping, and our troops have stood together in many, many operations around the world. Ireland was a vigorous supporter of the Ottawa Process which led to the landmines Agreement.
Minister Dion, since the early days of Ireland’s independence when Ireland and Canada cooperated in expanding the boundaries of Dominion status, our two countries have enjoyed close and mutually beneficial relations. Ireland places great importance on the maintenance of that close relationship. Under Ireland’s last Presidency of the European Union in 1996, we saw as one of our priorities, and achieved, the successful conclusion of an EU-Canada partnership agreement, which will govern and develop Canada’s relations with the EU into the next century.
I look forward very much to that relationship, between both our countries and our peoples, continuing to prosper and grow in the years ahead.
Thank you.