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>> I hereby confer on you the degree
of doctor of laws honoris causa, admitto te ad gradum.
[ Applause ]
>> Well, thank you ever so much.
Those were very kind words Mr. President.
Mr. Chancellor and President Shoukri ,
members of this platform party, parents, friends,
and most important, fellow graduates,
you know it seems the tradition at gatherings like this to begin
by saying how honored and humbled I am
to be receiving this degree
from my alma mater of the past 32 years.
And I am honored and humbled.
But the truth is, I'm still in a little bit of a state of shock,
and not quite sure, at all, that I'm worthy of joining those
who have preceded me to this podium
over the course of almost 55 years.
I want to begin by offering congratulations.
First to today's graduates,
for getting the job done amidst the agony and the ecstasy
that you experienced over the course of the years
of study and exploration.
Congratulations.
[ Applause ]
To your mentors, the professors, lecturers, tutors, assistants,
who have dedicated their lives to guiding you
through your academic journeys.
To your families who have supported you
in so many ways during your time here at York.
And, to this amazing university,
which in its sixth decade has established itself
as a global leader in education and research.
[Pause] You know, founding president,
Murray Ross, had a big dream.
Dr. Shoukri, he would be astounded at how far you
and those who have preceded you have come.
But today's spotlight shines on all of you, the graduates,
and I am just absolutely thrilled to be part of it.
My purpose here today is, first, to reminisce for a moment
about my relationship with York University and, second,
to offer a word or two of counsel
as you complete your mission here
and begin the next part of your journey.
Almost 40 years ago, my wife and I were living on a gentle slope
of land in the West Kootenay Mountains of British Columbia.
Let's be frank, we were hippies!
And proud of it.
Kate was pregnant with our third child and we had a fourth,
an autistic foster child, whom we had been caring
for since she was 11-years-old.
Now to Kate's surprise, I became obsessed
with the notion of studying law.
And this meant returning the family to Ontario
so that I could complete an undergraduate degree
at Glendon College and apply to one law school
or another somewhere in Canada.
Five years later, I had a BA from Glendon College
in Canadian studies, and a law degree
from Osgoode Hall Law School.
That was 1981.
During those years, I was exposed to an all-star cast
of teachers, including Irving Abella, David Wolfe,
Harry Arthurs, and Peter Hogg, just to name four.
Together that team inspired in me a passion
for this Canadian nation, for issues of public policy,
and the legal system that we use to govern ourselves.
[Speaking in Foreign Language]
. My studies at York, not only transformed my life,
but set a course that has defined my journey ever since.
In June of 1985, I was sworn in as Ontario Minister of Colleges
and Universities as part of the first liberal government
in Ontario in 42 years.
Exactly four years after graduating from York,
I assumed political responsibility
for the provinces post-secondary system.
For some in the field, Lerna [phonetic],
that was a very scary notion indeed.
But for me, it was time to give back to York
and to higher education in general.
In 1986, I began a personal campaign to secure approval
for an expansion of Toronto's subway system to this campus,
to York University's campus.
My thinking was this,
that a York subway would link all three Toronto universities,
Ryerson, the University of Toronto,
and York University at this campus.
And it would put this campus right in the heart
of the fast-growing greater Toronto area.
Now you need to understand in politics,
patience is everything.
Case in point, it was not until December of 2006,
some 20 years later, when I was Minister of Finance in Ontario,
that our government was able to secure a financial agreement
with the federal government
that would finally ensure construction of the subway.
It has taken far too long, but its coming.
And three years from now,
many graduates will actually come here
for their convocations on that subway.
[Pause] Now York instilled in me the various passions
that have animated my life and influenced my career ever
since my graduation in 1981.
Today I want to leave you with a word or two about the passions
that I hope will animate your lives as you move on from here.
There are three.
The first is a passion for family.
I grew up in a traditional Canadian family.
My parents were teenagers when they immigrated
with their parents to this soil, and shortly after landing,
they suffered the ravages of The Dirty Thirties,
and yet they still rooted deeply in Canada.
Now the bonds of love that encircle us, my late parents,
my brothers Joseph and Edward, and my sister,
those bonds remain as stronger
than any manmade alloy that I can imagine.
And now it's my family, my own family, my wife Kate,
our six children, their spouses and partners and soon,
13 grandchildren, that provide me
with the most relevant meaning for life here on the planet.
Each of you has a family.
Some small, some large, some unique, some traditional.
But in every case, it is your intimates who give real meaning
to whatever you undertake in life.
Make them, make your family, your mission.
Make them the object of your passion.
In the words of the great songwriter, Graham Nash,
"Teach your children well and as you grow older,
you will find yourselves learning more
from them than they from you."
The second passion is for this land and this country.
You know it may be trite for an old politician to say
that we live in the greatest country in the world,
but for me, and in the case of Canada, it is true
and it bears repeating.
Think of it.
Among all the nations in the world, 35 million of us live
within the second largest stretch
of geography in the world.
It is an estate that is rich and bountiful.
And more important, it's the world's most successful
experiment in fashioning a multicultural society,
one that mixes languages, religions, traditions,
ethnicities, and cultures
from every single corner of the world.
How magnificent is that?
But the Canadian experience will only succeed
if we dedicate ourselves to its success.
We must be spirited.
We must be passionate about how we shape our communities.
About how we build our cities.
About how we husband our soil.
About how we manage our resources.
We must be passionate about a better and fairer way
to share the wealth that we create together.
We must be passionate about, about how to ensure human
and civil rights and protect the dignity of every single one
of us amongst the 35 million.
And we need to be passionate
about we engage ourselves collectively
in an ever more entwined community of nations.
The mission is simple.
We must be committed to leaving this place better
than we found it.
And in doing so, let us take a cue from those
who were here well before the rest of us.
Aboriginal peoples across the country who,
despite sometimes appalling conditions,
retained a profound understanding
of the right relationship with the land.
And finally, thirdly, be passionate
about the work that you do.
You know I've always been mystified as to how,
through all the noise, so many of us seem to land
in jobs that suit our makeup.
In my own agnostic way I've always felt a sort
of guiding hand leading me into
and through the crazy world of partisan politics.
I've loved my work to date.
I have tried to be passionate about the missions
that I have undertaken.
And my wish for you today is that you find work
that you truly love and, in any event,
love passionately the work that you do.
Each of us, each citizen, is born with an assignment.
An assignment to contribute in one way or another to society
with our labor and our endeavors.
It may be unheralded work.
It may lead to notoriety around the world, that's not important.
What is important is the spirit we bring
to whatever it is that we do.
Like you I'm at a crossroads regarding what I'm going
to do next and I hope I can heed my own words.
A passion for family, a passion for country,
a passion for your work.
But one final note, be a passionate alumnus or alumna
of this wonderful university, your alma mater forever.
Most of you are ending your full-time relationship
with York as of today.
And even as you leave, make a permanent commitment
to remain a part of the York community.
Be a permanent and passionate life member of the York family.
After all, for each of you, this is the birthplace
of the rest of your lives.
So I want to wish you all the best.
You have much to celebrate today.
And much to look forward to down the road.
May the force of passion be always
with you wherever you may go.
Merci beaucoup.
[ Applause ]