REMARKS FOR THE PRESIDENT, MARY ROBINSON, AT THE LT. GOVERNOR’S DINNER, TORONTO
REMARKS FOR THE PRESIDENT, MARY ROBINSON, AT THE LT. GOVERNOR'S DINNER, TORONTO, ON TUESDAY, 23RD AUGUST, 1994
Your Honour, Mr. Premier, Your Eminence, Ladies and Gentlemen,
- Thank you, your Honour, and you, Mr. Premier, for your warm welcome and your kind remarks.
- I am deeply appreciative of the generous hospitality that has been extended to me.
- The Irish have made a distinctive contribution in many countries across the world where destiny or design caused them to settle, but Canada has a special place in the Irish diaspora.
- The first Dominion census of 1871 showed that 24% of all Canadians were of Irish ethnic origin at a time when 20% were of English and about 16% were of Scottish ethnic origin. That is not so very long ago.
- Canada was host to Irish people of both the Orange and Green traditions, it was at times a turbulent relationship, but the happy outcome has been to endow Canada with the best of two vibrant, imaginative and confident traditions.
- The reconciliation you have effected here is a good precedent for us to follow as we strive to overcome the divisions which are part, but only part, of our historical heritage.
- Since 1973 when Ireland joined the European Union, we have been moving towards a rediscovery of our broader birthright, a pluralist legacy which is helping us to refocus and reshape our identity. This experience is an enriching process which serves to lessen the intensity with which we view our particular situation.
- There can be no doubt that in our heart of hearts Irish people of whatever tradition know what they want for themselves and for their children - It is reconciliation, it is peace, it is prosperity. In this we are no different to Canadians.
- There is something else we have in common - it is an unselfish desire to share this peace and prosperity with the rest of the world, to see an end to hunger and poverty and injustice which afflict so much of human kind today.