Speeches - 2008

The Honourable Jason Kenney

The Mandarin Profile Awards Presentation Gala 2008

Markham, Ontario, May 25, 2008

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Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Let me begin by saying how delighted I am to be with all of you today.

The purpose of this evening' s awards ceremony – for the first-ever Mandarin Profile Awards – is to celebrate success stories. 

As you know, these awards have been named after "Mandarin Profile," a very interesting program that focuses on the stories of new immigrants.  Mandarin Profile allows newcomers to share their excitement about business achievements in Canada.  And the program also provides them with an occasion to talk about the lessons they' ve learned from the challenges they face as newcomers to the country.

Let me take this opportunity to applaud Fairchild Television for holding a ceremony that promotes the entrepreneurial achievements of Chinese Canadians. 

I believe events such as this evening' s awards gala are tremendously important in recognizing this community' s contribution to the prosperity and success of this community. 

People of Chinese heritage have long enriched Canada with their skills, knowledge, and talents, and our society benefits greatly from their contribution.  They have played a pivotal role in building this country.
The Government of Canada takes great pride in the contributions that all of the various communities in Canada have made to the social, economic, and political fabric of our country.

Our Government considers Canada' s diversity to be one of this country' s greatest assets, and we are committed to strengthening our national cohesion.

Our core Canadian values are freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.  The more than 200,000 people who come to Canada annually from every corner of the world embrace these values, and at the same time add to our sense of who we are.
This evening' s event is certainly an excellent example of this.  The Mandarin Profile awards help enrich our diversity, and they play an important role in contributing to cross-cultural understanding. This is what our Government means when it talks about pluralism.  It' s not only about respecting diversity.  It' s about actively participating and learning about each other, and about how to work together to form a strong and cohesive Canada.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the leaders and staff of this organization on the impressive work they have done in organizing this gala for such a worthy cause.

As well, on behalf of the Government of Canada, I want to congratulate the 2008 recipients of the Mandarin Profile Awards.

Your outstanding leadership and your distinguished achievements serve as an inspiration to us all.

In closing, allow me to thank you for welcoming me to this wonderful celebration.  I hope that you enjoy the rest of the program, and I wish you great success for the coming years.