PM participates in Harry Jerome Awards Ceremony

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Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Thank you President Pauline Christian for your kind introduction.

And thank you to the members of the Black Business and Professional Association for inviting me to participate in tonight’s celebration of accomplishment and excellence - the 2010 Harry Jerome Awards.

Before I begin tonight, I’d like to welcome the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, David Onley, Chief Justice Warren Winkler, The Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, the Honourable Jason Kenney; my parliamentary colleagues and, of course, Mayor David Miller. 

Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honour to be with you tonight. The list of current and former recipients of these awards is a formidable one – almost a who’s who, a list of those Canadians who, despite their diversity have two things in common.  First, a connection, however distant, to the continent of Africa.  Second, the qualities of ambition and drive.  That is the heritage, and those are the qualities, that we celebrate tonight.

Founded 27 years ago in the name of one of the greatest Canadian athletes of all time, the Harry Jerome awards now recognize achievements not just in athletics, but in all walks of life; academia, the arts, business, community service.

In other words, Canadians of African heritage are making their mark in all fields of human endeavour, and have done so for more than 100 years.

I think, for instance, of  U.S. Civil War veteran Anderson Ruffin Abbott, Canada’s first black physician and a prominent member of the community in southern Ontario, where he fought against racially segregated schools.

Or the cowboy John Ware, a legendary figure in my home base of Alberta, where he played a key role in the founding of the ranching industry during the late 1800s.

And who couldn’t love the great early 20th century jazz and pop music composer Shelton Brooks, whose Darktown Strutters Ball is still a popular part of Canada’s authentic musical heritage?

And so we come, in our own time, to Harry Jerome.  Born in Prince Albert, raised in Vancouver, Harry Jerome was a driving force in Canadian athletics during the ’60s. As a sprinter, he set multiple records.  As an administrator, he helped establish Canada’s first sports ministry.  For all of which he was awarded the Order of Canada.  How fitting that his name
should now be attached to these awards, so that his distinguished achievements should serve as an inspiration for the generations to follow

You know, when one is talking about African-Canadian accomplishment, it’s a long list. Let’s talk about the late Miss Lou, Louise Bennett Coverley, the wise and witty dub poet who – as I discovered during my visit to Jamaica last year - was as beloved in her native land as she was in her adopted home of Toronto.

Or K’naan. He’s the Somalia-born Canadian musician who has just won Juno awards for artist and songwriter of the year.  If  you’re a soccer fan, you’re going to hear more of him.  His "Wavin’ Flag" has become the global anthem of this year’s World Cup.

There’s Micheal Lee-Chin, a brilliant Jamaican-Canadian businessman, and also a renowed philanthropist. 

And in politics, we can never forget Lincoln Alexander, the first black Canadian Member of Parliament, federal cabinet minister and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

And Don Oliver, one of the great men in our Senate caucus, whose wisdom we love and whose counsel we rely on.

And of course, how can we forget the Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency, Michaelle Jean.

Then there is Corporal Ainsworth Dyer.  His is a different story.  As sad as it noble.  Corporal Dyer was a soldier.  He was young, brave, dedicated and he qualified as a paratrooper.  He served our country in Bosnia. And on April 18, 2002, this fine young man from Regent Park was serving our country in Afghanistan, when he made the ultimate sacrifice.  We have been speaking this evening of how people of this community have contributed to their country.  You cannot give more than Corporal Dyer gave.  He was a true Canadian hero.

As this small sample of outstanding Canadians suggests, what we loosely call the black community in Canada is actually drawn, through many different eras, and from many different countries and cultures.

And it is to our betterment.  Canada has been immeasurably enriched by such a broad array of ethno-cultural traditions.  Each community is part of the cultural diversity that is one of Canada’s greatest strengths in this globalized world.

And each community has embraced the freedoms and opportunities that, for centuries, have made Canada a beacon of hope for the world’s poor and oppressed.  This is not to suggest that the integration of black immigrants to Canada from Africa and the Caribbean over the last 40 years has been seamless.  As with all previous waves of immigration, newcomers face many challenges adapting to life in Canada.  No doubt some of you here, have your own tales to tell.  However, our Government has launched numerous initiatives designed to help immigrants flourish in the mainstream of Canadian life.  Indeed, as refugees from countries as widely separated as the Sudan and Haiti can attest, our government helps them get here to begin with. 

In our view, which I know is shared by the BBPA,  education is the key to success – to successful integration, to the full enjoyment of citizenship.

That’s why we have provided significant financial support for the tremendously effective Pathways to Education Program, founded right here in Toronto.  Co-operative programs such as this, involving governments, business and community groups, are far more effective at lifting people out of poverty, helping immigrants adapt to a new land, and providing better opportunities for at-risk youth than the big, bureaucratic state-run approaches of the past.

But at the end of the day, the main reason people of all races and cultural backgrounds can get ahead in Canada, is because of this: in Canada, who you are and what you do matters more than who you know, and where you’re from. 

We admit the potential for achievement in every human being. All who share our core values – freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, all who respect and aspire to those things, have what it takes to be a citizen of Canada.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what makes this, the greatest country in the world, deserving of our highest loyalty.

I want to close by congratulating, on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, those selected to receive the 2010 Harry Jerome Awards. I also want to thank the BBPA once again for inviting me to join you in tonight’s celebration of achievement and excellence.

And I want to honour you for these awards, for your national scholarship fund, for the all great work done by your organization in contributing to our great country.

Thank you.  God bless Canada.

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