Reflections on Canada Day

Head Table Guests

Willis Blair, Secretary and Director, The Empire Club of Canada; Gordon Bates, C.M., Volunteer Leadership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving; Thomas O'Grady, C.M., former Commissioner, Ontario Provincial Police; Prof. Ralph Nicholls, O.C., Research Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy, York University; Dr. Reva Gerstein, C.C., Psychologist, Chancellor Emeritus, University of Western Ontario; George L. Cooke, President, The Empire Club of Canada and President and CEO, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company; The Hon. Charles Dubin, O.C. Q.C., former Chief Justice of the Ontario Supreme Court; MGen. Bruce J. Legge, CMM, CM, Q.C., Honorary Life Chairman, The Royal Commonwealth Society of Canada and of the Toronto Branch and a Past President, The Empire Club of Canada; Chris Korwin-Kuczyuski, Councillor, City of Toronto and Chairman, The Toronto Canada Day Committee; Molly Killingbeck, Head Coach, Women's Cross-Country and Track and Field, York University and Commonwealth Games Medallist; Greg Edgelow, Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist; Lisa Alexander, Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and Olympic Silver Medallist; Steve Burchmore, Manager, Community Relations, Consumers Gas; Michael Clarke, C.M., Executive Director, Heart Touching Heart Ministries; and Rev. Canon Ebert Hobbs, C.D., Honorary Assistant Minister, St. Paul's Anglican Church (Bloor Street) and Vice Chairman, Royal Commonwealth Society (Toronto Branch).

Introduction by Catherine Charlton

Ladies and gentlemen, every weekday night someone visits our millions of homes more than any other person. You might say he's a real "family man." He brings us news and information, supported by insights and a presentation that can only come from a distinguished professional career--a patently Canadian sensitivity.

Lloyd Robertson, Chief News Anchor and Senior News Editor for CTV since 1983, has achieved over four decades a remarkable list of TV credits: host of his own specials on Hong Kong, China and Great Britain; Expo coverage; presidential elections; Olympic Games; budget specials--the list goes on and on.

A native of Stratford, Ontario, and a former anchor of the CBC's The National, and since 1976 Chief of CTV News, our guest speaker has achieved a remarkable canon of distinctive achievements. He has been a staff announcer in Winnipeg and Ottawa and has come to know Canada and Canadians from east to west.

He has been honoured by broadcasters and news directors time after time--a record in itself. This year he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. And his career is far from over, with more, more to come!

If one can say that such a broadcaster/communicator can have a strong, unifying influence on a nation, then Lloyd Robertson is eminently qualified to be the guest speaker at this joint Canada Day luncheon of our two organisations--The Royal Commonwealth Society, Toronto and The Empire Club of Canada.

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please join me in welcoming Mr. Lloyd Robertson, Canadian extraordinaire.

Lloyd Robertson

Madam President, Your Honour Pauline McGibbon, distinguished head table guests, award winners, ladies and gentlemen, I'm delighted to be here for your Canada Day event. It's very special to me and I really appreciate it.

This was the year in which I had the extraordinary privilege of having the Order of Canada hung around my neck by the Governor General. Everyone said: "What was it like? What was that moment like?" Well it caused a rush of illuminating events to cross through my mind--the places I've been, the things that I've done, the corners of this country that I've come to know and appreciate and it has been every corner of this country, the North, the South, the East, the West. When I saw the veterans here today I was reminded of something else. On two occasions I had the privilege of going to Normandy to cover anniversary events for the Normandy landings--in 1984 and again in 1994. What struck me were pictures that we've seen over and over again of the landings by those young Canadians in Normandy all those years ago. Again I had the opportunity to walk through the cemeteries in France, to talk to the people, and to know how much they really appreciate whom we are. We may have trouble identifying ourselves sometimes but they don't. They know whom we are. I was in Hong Kong and went to the Canadian cemetery over there. Many of you here will know the Hong Kong story and it's not a pleasant one but they know whom we are; they can tell you about Canada. So it is up to us to spread the word more effectively amongst ourselves.

I want to begin by telling you about a few of the things I have to cope with on a daily basis. People say to me: "What is it you're asked most often?" You would think that it might be something about a news story of the day. Well it is isn't. The question I'm most often asked (and my anchor colleagues, friends of mine, who have been in this business a long time say the same thing) is: "Who's doing the news tonight?" My wife and I were visiting Venice many years ago, our very first trip to Venice. We were on the canal in a canoe. We were being taken down the canal, the person controlling the canoe was singing away and someone yelled over one of the bridges: "Lloyd, who's doing the news tonight?" In Venice.

And then there is: "What is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?" Well quite a few things have been embarrassing for me over the years. I suppose the first one that comes to mind is when I was with the CBC years ago and Lyndon Johnson had decided that he would not run for a second term as U.S. president. We had written a line near the beginning of the broadcast about his speech that night which was described as "a plea for peace." Guess what I did? I left out the critical letter "1" of course. The other one was the night two years after I had been at CTV I signed off the news in authoritative style I thought saying: "I'm Lloyd Robertson, goodnight from CBC News." I wasn't all that popular in the boardrooms for a couple of weeks after that. Nevertheless they appreciate the fact that such things happen.

As we approach this 131st birthday of our country, many of us can look back on 1998 as a year of great achievements. Certainly the people in this room can do that. I can do that as a member of the Order of Canada.

It has also been a good year for our country. The economy is booming along despite some volatile fluctuations between our dollar and the U.S. currency but against the rest of the world the Canadian dollar remains strong and the current restlessness is due in part to the Asian financial crisis.

It has also been a good year for us on the Constitution front. Jean Charest has now taken charge as Liberal leader in Quebec and polls continue to confirm that if an election were held today he and his party would be victorious. One voter sample taken in early June revealed 48 per cent would choose the Liberals and 40 per cent would pick the Parti Quebecois. Looking at the popularity of the two leaders, the results are a little less comforting for federalists. Fifty-nine per cent approve of Lucien Bouchard's performance as premier, while 60 per cent think Jean Charest is doing well as leader of the Liberals. A little too close for comfort there perhaps and it serves to remind us that Lucien Bouchard is a formidable opponent who is able to connect with the deep-rooted passions of Quebeckers that so reflect their place as a minority surrounded by a majority on the North American continent.

Think about their position for a moment and put yourself in their place. If tables were reversed and we found ourselves as an English minority on this continent wouldn't we too be fighting to protect our identity, to grow our culture and perpetuate our language? You can bet that we would and especially since we had been led to believe all these years that we were one of the founding partners in the formation of this great country.

But back for a last look at that poll. The most encouraging news of all is that 68 per cent of Quebeckers believe that if re-elected the Parti Quebecois should not hold a referendum on sovereignty. Sixty-eight per cent. Now in polling terms 68 per cent is a formidable number. And 31 per cent feel a referendum should take place. This is similar to results seen in other surveys. The toughest problem for the Parti Quebecois in the coming election whether it Is this fall or next spring is that party's commitment to a referendum.

These figures were released just a few months after a study by the C.D. Howe Institute which makes it very clear that the partnership proposed by separatists between an independent Quebec and the rest of Canada would be virtually impossible to achieve. The separatists' basic aim is for an economic union but their proposal also holds out hope for closer ties including a parliamentary assembly and joint policies in fields from foreign affairs to budgetary policies.

Well that's not much different from what we have now you may say. And you're quite right. The study also says that while the rest of Canada might prefer total isolation from their former compatriots in Quebec, Canada and Quebec are linked in so many ways a surgical separation would be virtually impossible.

A typically Canadian thing happened yesterday which pleased those of us who follow the news. At the Fete Nationale parade yesterday in Quebec a pie was thrown in the face of Bill Johnson. Bill Johnson is the leader of Alliance Quebec and he's a hard liner when it comes to expressing his views about the rights of English-speaking Quebeckers. On many of his points I'm sure he would find a lot of support in this group. He had the pie thrown in his face, the cameras rushed in and the police rushed in and he said: "No, no, no, just a moment, this a free expression of opinion. I have no problem with this. We live in a free country so if you want to throw more pies, be my guest." Lucien Bouchard to his enormous credit said when interviewed: "Bill Johnson has a perfect right to be in this parade. He is a Quebecker after all." I thought that said a lot about where we are today in this country. We can look at ourselves and regard the differences we have not as huge divisions but things that we can tolerate, things we can work out if we try hard enough.

Many feel that now is clearly the time for the rest of the country to open up to Quebec and things are happening in that direction. With little fuss or fanfare the Calgary Accord has been approved by nine provinces. It recognises Quebec's uniqueness and while the Parti Quebecois rejects it, as was to be expected, the hearings on the Accord fell flat in Quebec. And good old Jacques Parizeau. Wasn't he wonderful on this subject? Uncle Jacques, we call him sometimes, stood up and said: "These hearings don't mean anything you know. They are just designed to drop Jean Charest." And Jean Charest said: "Yes you're right."

By opening up to Quebec we must also be careful not to open up old wounds. The last thing we need is another Meech Lake or Charlottetown Accord. People in Quebec and the rest of Canada are sending positive signals but that doesn't mean the members of the constitutional industry should consider themselves back in business. It's probably time to follow the directions of political scientist David Cameron, a veteran of the constitutional wars who was quoted this week as saying: "What if it is the case that what we are confronting is not a problem to be solved but a tension to be accommodated, an arrangement to be lived with, a practical solution which is not perfect but is eminently tolerable. If we carry that wise thought forward it is easy to see that accommodations like distinct society or uniqueness are not really roadblocks but are easily tolerable." Yes I know B.C. is distinctive, Newfoundland is distinct, Nova Scotia is distinct, Manitoba is distinct, Ontario is distinct but Quebec is more distinct because its clear language and cultural differences from the rest of the society are apparent to anybody who has ever been there. Now there are always forces lurking in the background and these forces will entice politicians at one time or another towards centralisation, de-centralisation, secessionist fragmentation, Quebec separation, B.C. separation, Maritime union and on and on. The important factor in any democracy is a ready acceptance of the basic values we all share. And that basic value is an entity called Canada which for all kinds of reasons is recognised time and time again, far and wide, as the best country in the world.

I'm going to quote here from a man who wrote "What is a Nation?" He gave a lecture at the Sorbonne in 1882. Here is what he says about a nation and I think some of it applies to Canada today. "A nation is a soul, a spiritual principle. Two things constitute this principle. One lies in the past, the other in the present. One is the shared possession of a rich legacy of memories of the past. The other is consent in the present, a desire to live together, a will to continue to make the most of undivided heritage. The nation like the individual is the culmination of a long history of effort, of sacrifice and of devotion. A nation is therefore a vast solidarity constituted by the knowledge of the sacrifices made in the past and of those we are willing to make for each other in the future. In the present, however, it amounts to one tangible thing and it's the only thing that matters which is consensus and a clearly expressed desire to pursue a common life. The existence of a nation is a daily plebiscite, just as individual existence is a perpetual affirmation of life." And from what we see, from our positions across Canada at this time on the eve of Canada Day as we approach our 131st anniversary, is a Canada that is calmer, more reflective, with people more willing to live together than ever before.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think 1998 is a good year for Canada. I hope it is a good Canada Day for you. God bless you. Have a happy and wonderful Canada Day.

The appreciation of the meeting was expressed by George L. Cooke, President, The Empire Club of Canada and President and CEO, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company.