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High Commissioner Laurie Peters at the induction of Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon
into the CVSS Hall of Fame by CVSS Volunteer President Gary 'Butch' Hendrickson |
Dear readers: Canada's High Commissioner Ms Peters gave an inspiring address at the recent CVSS Awards Gala. I am pleased to share it with you.
Speech by Canada’s High Commissioner Ms Laurie Peters
The Council of Voluntary Social Services
National Volunteer Awards Gala
·
I am delighted to be with you here this evening to be a
part of this prestigious event, hosted by the Council of Voluntary Social
Services to honour volunteers who have added significant value to the
development of Jamaica, and who continue to impact the lives of Jamaicans.
·
I am also
humbled to be asked to speak as your keynote after only one year in my role
here as Canada’s High Commissioner.
·
I do
acknowledge that it is perhaps more in recognition of Canada’s longstanding
partnership and friendship with Jamaica and our track-record of assistance and
capacity building through our CIDA and now through Global Affairs Canada –
rather than through my own personal contributions.
·
That
being said, I do come from a family of volunteers: earliest memories of
accompanying my Mum as she went door to door canvassing for the Canadian cancer
society or cheering on my Dad Coach Peters who started up inner-city football
team.
·
This
spirit of giving has rubbed off on all 7 of us kids – personally and
professionally. Going for my first job
interview – I recall the nugget of wisdom from my now 94 year young Mum – tell
them you’ll volunteer! I suppose it is
no surprise that I left my 18 year career with the public service to work with
a volunteer driven NGO, Aga Khan Foundation Canada – part of the Aga Khan
Development Network where I learned the true meaning of the value of a “hand-up”
beyond that of a “hand-out”.
·
And while
I returned to the public service – and more specifically to Canada’s foreign
service, I am delighted to know that I can continue to contribute – personally
and professionally to the welfare and well-being of my community – whether in
Canada – in Japan (my previous posting where they suffered the devastation of
the 2011 tsunami and earthquake) and now, here in Jamaica.
·
Here in
Jamaica where in my brief 12 months I have seen first hand the generosity and
giving spirit of Foundations from RockHouse to Rosetown; individuals like
Cynthia at Winnifred Beach; Angela at Women’s Inc and Georgie in Discovery
Bay. And those countless generous souls
here in Kingston – here in this room – who continually give of themselves –
their time and their funds to lift up the communities of Jamaica. It is both impressive and inspiring and I am
honoured to be amidst this sense of service to others here in Jamaica.
·
Mahatma Ghandi once said, “that the best way to find
yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” We all know that the
task of protecting human dignity and achieving noble goals such as eradicating
poverty and hunger, intolerance and discrimination, and other threats to human
dignity would not be possible without the energy and dedication of volunteers.
·
Volunteerism also offers a means for people to show their value and to
reaffirm that they have an important place in society. It can build a sense of
self-worth, and true feeling of pride for their contribution to creating a
better world.
·
But I don’t need to tell this
room about the importance of volunteering. It is incredible to be surrounded in
such generous and caring community and corporate leaders who pitch in and
support such worthwhile initiatives from Early Childhood Education to uplifting
the abandoned and forgotten to mentoring young women and men in need of a hand
up.
·
So perhaps you will indulge me
briefly to speak about Canada’s approach to volunteering and service so
that you might just see how we are all in this giant ‘circle of love’ together.
·
Canada has a proud
tradition of supporting volunteer opportunities. A 2010 survey found that about
one-half of Canadians contributed their time, energy and skills to groups and
organizations such as charities and non-profits. (In more recent years, we are
also seeing how “new Canadians” are contributing to the social fabric of their
new home through volunteering.)
·
Like Jamaicans, in
volunteering, they provided leadership on boards and committees; canvassed for
funds; provided advice, counselled or mentored; visited seniors; prepared and
delivered food; served as volunteer drivers; advocated for social causes; and
coached children and youth (like my Dad, Coach Peters). In short, they shaped
their communities and enabled non-profit organizations to deliver programs and
services to millions of their fellow Canadians.
·
Like Jamaica, each year,
Canada celebrates National Volunteer Week. It is a time when Canadians
celebrate and thank Canada’s volunteers, and highlight their contributions in
our communities.
·
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau refers to volunteers as “quiet builders and the constant backbone of
every city, town, village, and outpost.” (if you change outpost to “parish” I
am sure this same quotation would apply to Jamaica).
·
The Government of Canada is dedicated to making sure more young people have
opportunities to serve. Earlier this year, we launched the first phase of
Canada Service Corps, the country’s first national youth service initiative. In
encouraging a the spirit of volunteerism, Canada works with young Canadians to
create a program that will provide them with meaningful volunteer and service
opportunities, and inspire a new culture of service across the country.
·
Like Canada, Jamaica, also highlights its volunteers. Prime Minister
Holness has hailed the outstanding philanthropic contributions of citizens and
corporate entities which have served to engender a culture of volunteerism
locally.
·
Like Canada’s Governor General, Governor General Sir Patrick Allen has
recognized Jamaican volunteers through the Governor-General’s
Achievement Award Scheme, the Governor-General’s Youth Award of Excellence, and
the Governor-General’s Jamaican Diaspora Award for Excellence, and the I
Believe Initiative.
·
There are a number
of Canadian volunteer organizations doing great work around the world and in
Jamaica.
·
The work of Canadian
University Services Oversees (CUSO) comes to mind. Over the past five decades
members of CUSO International have volunteered around the world, helping people
in need and building sustainable communities. Today, CUSO International work in
over 40 countries, including Jamaica, to provide essential services, learning
opportunities, and improve living conditions for so many.
·
The work
of the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO) is also known to many
Jamaicans. Each year, several CESO volunteers work within Jamaica’s private and
public sectors to assist with organizational and community development.
·
WUSC –
Volunteers from World University Service of Canada who have been working most
recently on the PROPEL project in Manchester and other parishes – a unique and
sustainable agriculture initiative to facilitate the safe effective movement of
fresh produce from farms to markets.
As a young Canadian volunteer affirms, volunteering
allows one to gain even more than one gives:
Volunteering in Jamaica has been a truly gratifying, wonderful
experience. As a sovereign island nation, Jamaica has so much more to offer
than just gorgeous beaches. Hilly, sleepy towns, magnificent mountains,
beautiful forests, freshly cultivated fields, and many other hidden treasures
abound, including a rich and diverse culture and history. Volunteering with
WUSC has allowed me to glimpse a different side of Jamaica that most visitors
rarely get to experience.
·
Beyond the individual
commitments and rewards of volunteering, the contributions of corporations in
this space – such as Sagicor who is being honoured this evening -- is laudible
·
As I read in the Observer this week (Doing Well by Doing Good by Henley
Morgan), and as our good friend Howard Mitchell reminded us in a recent speech
to Rotarians, there is great merit in corporations ‘doing good.”
·
“Companies can reap incredible growth while sowing tremendous
improvement in people’s lives”.
·
“There is growing realization that business has a responsibility that
goes beyond blithely buying, selling and making a profit. Business has a
corporate social responsibility”.
·
This is evidenced by the plethora of corporate foundations here in
Jamaica – in fact right here in this room -- that together give hundreds of
millions of dollars to social causes and programmes.
·
Canada echoes this sentiment and also amplifies this beyond our borders
promoting Corporate Social Responsibility globally.
·
The
term “CSR” means different things to different people. When we in Canada refer
to Corporate Social Responsibility, we are NOT talking about a company building a school or a
hospital - which is corporate philanthropy.
·
Rather, we define CSR as “the voluntary activities undertaken by a
company, over and above minimum legal
requirements, to operate in an economically, socially, and environmentally
sustainable manner”.
·
To
expand a little further on Canada’s approach to CSR, we encourage companies to
look across their business functions through the lens of their impact on the
surrounding economy, community and environment and adjust the way they perform
these functions to create value for both the companies and the public good.
·
Experience has shown that those firms that go above and beyond the
letter of the law to adapt their planning and operation processes along CSR
lines, in a market-appropriate manner, are better positioned to succeed in the
long-term and to contribute to a more stable and prosperous environment for
all.
·
This is why the Government of Canada expects
all Canadian companies operating abroad, regardless of sector, to
respect human rights, all applicable laws and international standards, to
operate transparently and in consultation with host governments and local
communities, and to work in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
·
I am proud that at my
own High Commission, the spirit of volunteerism is alive and well. Gestures from both my fellow diplomats and
our local Jamaican colleagues – both big and small – are a reminder of not only
our responsibility as guests of Jamaica but our duty as global citizens. Building a school with Food for the Poor
Canada in Trelawny; Raising funds for Women’s Inc Women’s Shelter; Wearing Pink
in support of Breast Cancer Awareness (tomorrow!) – are all gestures to remind
us that we are in this together.
· Looking at the list of awardees I am thrilled to note
that some have a “Canadian” connection, as the High Commission of Canada has
had the privilege of working closely with them and their organizations on
several initiatives.
· Canada Fund
for Local Initiatives (CFLI)
· through
CFLI, we had supported the Mustard Seed Communities in F/Y 2006-2007 to improve
the facilities at Dare to Care – A Mustard Seed Communities HIV/AIDS Home for
children. In F/Y 2008-2009, through CFLI, we had supported the construction of
a Greenhouse at Jacob’s Ladder in Haddon, St. Ann.
· And I was
delighted to see Manchester’s Young Women/Men of Purpose being honoured this
evening as our Canada Fund supported the training of 45 young disadvantaged women. I was thrilled to see the new confidence of
these women when I attended their graduation ceremony at the outset of this
year.
·
Your
theme this evening couldn't be more appropriate. I also truly believe that
“Volunteerism is a Circle of Love.” It is that circle of love that guides the
hands of the team of doctors from Canadian Vision Care who visit Jamaica each
year, and partners with the Jamaica’s Lions Club to provide primary eye care
(eye exam and glasses) and surgical care to many Jamaicans.
·
It is
also that circle of love that engulfs Food For the Poor Canada, and its team of
volunteers. They go across the world whether to renovate or construct
classrooms in Jamaica, build houses in Haiti, ship millions of dollars’ worth
of medicine, medical equipment, food and educational supplies and provide
emergency relief after natural disasters.
·
We see that circle of love
in-house through the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign in
support of United Way Health Partners and other registered Canadian charities.
At the High Commission, there are members of staff who volunteer on the
Environmental Committee (encouraging us to be more environmentally aware), or
as members of the Canadian Women’s Club (raising money for many local
initiatives).
·
This evening, I am truly honoured that you have allowed this Canadian to be
included in the circle of love and generosity of spirit that is your Jamaica – our
Jamaica --land we love.
Before I close, I have a
confession to make – I had thought that the theme of the evening was Circle of
Life and I was prepared to end on Elton John’s song from the Lion King. As it turns out, the lyrics do apply to this
spirit of giving we are celebrating this evening (much more so than the Circle
of Love by The Steve Miller Band!).
Thank
You.
H.E.
Laurie Peters
High
Commissioner of Canada
Kingston,
JAMAICA
October
4, 2018
Circle of Life
From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The circle of life
It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The circle of life
Songwriters:
Elton John / Tim Rice
