Graduation Address

"Convocation Address by Norman Inkster" (24 October 1999). (UA Case 69, Box 3)

Madame President, Chancellor, Faculty Deans, Members of the Faculty, Platform Guests, Graduates, Ladies and Gentlemen—please let me begin by telling you what a great honor it is for me to be here to-day—to be recognized by the University of New Brunswick and to address the convocation on this very special day.

When I learned that I was to have the pleasure of speaking to you to-day, I sought advice from both friends and family and I asked them—"If you were in the audience what might you like to hear." It was suggested that I say a bit about the past, a bit about the future and from our youngest daughter—who is here with us to-day—say something about believing in yourself and the importance of dreams. As you can see the ideas that I was given varied, save and except for one thing—they all said "Be Brief." I will respect that piece of sage counsel.

In preparing for to-day and in doing a big of research I was reminded that UNB is indeed an old and proud institution whose beginnings pre-date those of Canada. The idea of a teaching and higher learning institution here dates back to 1785 and the first degree was granted in 1828. Very few of Canada’s institutions can boast of such a long, enduring and proud history. It is a history of which many of us are now a part.

In a moment, I will say a bit about the more contemporary past but first let me make an admission. Attending the University of New Brunswick—or if you live here—"heading up the hill"—was, I am proud to say, the single most influential event in my life and my career and had an impact well beyond the specific knowledge gained in the classroom.

Growing up in small town Saskatchewan and joining the RCMP at age eighteen after graduating from high school by the skin of my teeth—post-secondary education was never in the cards. Ten years later however, at the age of twenty-eight, the RCMP said "Inkster you will seek admission to the University of New Brunswick for an undergraduate degree in Arts, you will major in sociology and minor in psychology, you will maintain a 65% average or we will withdraw you—it is not necessary for you to have a good time."

My first meeting was with Professor Blue, the Registrar of the day who, with uncommon grace, dismissed as insignificant my poor showing in high school. He said I would have no problem as every other Mountie who has attended UNB turned out to be an exceptional student. Rest assured that I did not share Professor Blue’s confidence.

1968, my first year, was near the end of the "Hippie" phenomenon. President Mackay who is here with us to-day had to deal with some student rebellions, led, if I remember correctly by Professor Strax, a physics professor who was instrumental in a somewhat radical student movement known as the CSDS, Canadian Struggle for a Democratic Society. Some of the sit-ins and other demonstrations were in part about the decision taken by the University for students to have and carry ID cards. Professor Strax would be truly distraught to-day if he checked any of our wallets or purses to see how many identification cards we carry.

You can imagine then how, with great trepidation, this narrow-minded young police officer regarded people with long hair, beards and who wore sandals. "Hippies" to be sure—and many of them were my professors! Surprisingly, to a person I found that they were intelligent, caring, interested, accepting, helpful and capable educators to boot. This was the first and the most important part of my education—before you make judgments about anyone—talk to them, listen to them, find out who they are, learn their values—it will always be an enriching experience.

Years later, as Commissioner, when we moved to change the face of the Force to more accurately reflect the changing face of Canada, by recruiting more women, more visible minorities, aboriginal people, and by changing the dress regulations to allow Orthodox Sikhs to wear turbans and aboriginals who followed traditional ways to wear a braid—the experience of UNB sustained me through some very difficult debates both within the Force and with a segment of the general public. Happily, common sense and the sound judgement of the courts prevailed to the point that to-day the RCMP training centre in Regina is a veritable United Nations as is this great country in which we have the privilege to live.

During my time as the commissioner of the RCMP and President of Interpol as well as with KPMG, I had the privilege of visiting in excess of fifty countries around the world and seeing the best that they have to offer. None come close to all that we have here in Canada. A foreign Ambassador once came to my office in the RCMP to say farewell as he was preparing to return to his home country. We asked what he though of his tenure in Canada, he replied "Canada is a solution that seems to be looking for a problem."

If you believe in your heart that something is the right thing to do—it usually easy to achieve—it just takes a bit more time. Little in life is inherently good or bad, right or wrong—there are few blacks and whites, few absolutes—the spice of life is in shades of gray.

I owe a special debt of gratitude to the Aboriginal people who taught me the importance of talking and more importantly listening and hearing. They taught me to listen to the story but make sure one hears the message.

1. One Hundred Years Ago


2. I would have to see the back of his head


3. You never stop for a cup of tea

The message to the RCMP and to other law enforcement agencies in Canada was that we had forgotten that the police were formed to serve the people, all the people and that police agencies will be successful only so long as they hold public respect and public trust. Without the respect of the public and without public support, law enforcement will fail. This was the beginning of a return to community-based policing which prevails across Canada and is spreading around the world. One of the most significant pillars supporting democracy is a trained, professional and publicly accountable police service.

But what of the future? It is trite to say—but in to-day’s culture of cyberspace—the only constant in our lives will be change. For those few who find change difficult, who prefer the status quo—life is going to be very challenging indeed. Just think of the changed we have all witnessed – e-mail, voice mail, world travel, e-commerce, satellite transmission and a lexicon of computer related bits and bytes that did not even exist twenty or so years ago. Think of the speed at which change and the development is occurring in space, in technology, in science, in medicine, in transportation and all at a time when our worlds continues to shrink while our population continues to grow. The challenge in life as in business, is to imagine the changes that are coming, that will be part of our lives and those of our children and to embrace them with enthusiasm.

One of the biggest changes in my life was retiring from the RCMP after almost thirty seven years of service. The Commissioner’s job, with all of its perks—nice office, people saluting all over the place as well as a car and a driver—was difficult to give up. I retired from the RCMP on a Friday and went to work for KPMG Peat, Marwick, Thorne on the following Monday. I knew that life had changed for me, when on Monday morning I walked out of the front door of my house, jumped in the back seat of my car and nothing happened.

Your careers, unlike mine, will probably involve working for several organizations both private and public, in several locations both in Canada and abroad. You will go where your special qualifications and experience take you as your career—in science, finance, engineering, sociology, psychology, teaching or whatever it may be, moves you up through the levels of management as you succeed. For the most part spending one’s entire working life with one organization is a thing of the past—loyalty will be to your employer—or to quote Wayne Gretzky when he was asked which arena he enjoyed playing in the most he said "Home ice." You will take more control over your career options and you will define your own success. Success for you will be what you decide it should be—climbing the corporate ladder or not. The choices are difficult but they are yours and yours alone and they should be based on those things which are the most important to you—not to others.

A natural outcome of change is—that which you have learned her at the University of New Brunswick will have relevance for only a brief period of time. New developments, new theories, new discoveries will build on, or in some cases replace, the ones you now know. Our education gives us a base on which we must continue to build in preparation for a society and a world where learning must be a lifetime undertaking if we are going to make our dreams, whatever they are, come true. If you believe in yourself you will make a difference and often in ways which you could not contemplate to-day.

There will be many elements to your individual definitions of success, but if success is to be achieved you will have the following in common:

1. You work at what you enjoy


2. You enjoy your work


3. You know that you make a difference in the lives of others

If you can get up in the morning and look forward to the new challenge of a new day, every day and enjoy pursuing your chosen career—you have achieve success.

I would like to close with a few words of thanks to some people who made a difference in my life:

1. Professor Pulman—the head of the sociology department during my day—who said to us on the first day of class—look to your left, and look to your right, only one of you will graduate. And I was seated at the end of a row!


2. Professor Nels Andersen, a renowned sociologist one of the fathers of sociology who told me that a good student doesn’t need a teacher and who reminded me of the importance of believing in Santa Claus.


3. Professor Henneffer—who invited me to write my own theory to explain criminal behaviour—I’m still working on it.


4. Professor Barbara Pepperdine—who told that the way to keep the various theories of sociology straight was to remember why they didn’t work—people are just too complex—but whose teachings, with the theories as a backdrop, helped me to understand society in ways that I did not think was possible.


5. My wife Mary Anne—without her support Professor Pulman’s admonition could very well have been true.

I wish you all great success—you have received an education from one of the finest Universities in the country, that country being Canada, the finest place in the world to live. A place where you can dare to dream, a place where you can dream out loud if you so choose and where it is just up to you to make those dreams come true. Believe in yourself and you will make a difference.

I also wish you all long life, good health, happiness and great success.

Thank you.