Graduation Address

"Unity Most Important Challenge Facing Canadians Today – Vanier" Telegraph Journal (20 May 1966). (UA Case 67, Box 2)

Addressing an audience of approximately 3,000, the governor-general said: "There is a special responsibility for universities in Canada and their graduates which is of paramount concern. It is the responsibility of making a positive and creative contribution to our sense of purpose and to our unity as a nation.

"We have," he said, "local and regional problems of some importance, and we have, of course, our own personal preoccupations, but I can assure you that there is no question, no problem, no challenge so important to every Canadian today as the unity of our nation; and I believe that universities can if they wish, and must if they value the future of our country, play a decisive role in the achievement of this national unity.

"Act As Catalyst"

"I need hardly tell you," His Excellency said, "that no university aware of its responsibilities will retreat into the isolation of ivory towers. The university is an integral part of the national society, and any problem facing the nation must be of concern to it. The university must act as a catalyst in creating an atmosphere of candid, rational, and impartial examination of national problems.

"And so I say to you," the governor-general told the members of the graduating class, "go forth, firm in your convictions and zealous in your dedication, Canada is counting on you to provide the leadership and example of which we stand in continuing need.

"Our country will be as great and its aspirations as worthy as the contributions we give to it."

The graduates, he said, had now completed a period in their lives "during which, perhaps, more has been given to you than many less fortunate persons are offered in a lifetime. What," he asked, "should be your response to this endowment?"

"I suggest that if you have, in fact, learned the deep and abiding lessons of university life, your thoughts now will turn to ways in which you can become the givers instead of the receivers.

"Fruit of Wisdom"

"Such an impulse," the governor-general said, "should be the natural conclusion of all genuine learning. Such a desire is the fruit of all wisdom. Only in giving can we hope to become rich, not in mercenary terms, but in terms of satisfaction and joy in life.

"You all know the biblical truth," he said, "that from those to whom much has been given, much will be expected. Each of you has been endowed by your Creator with some special talents and abilities.

"These assets have been developed and enlarged by your university training. Will you bury them in the sand or will you use them in helping to repay the debt which you owe to your Creator, to your country and to yourself?

"The mark of a dedicated man," he said, "is his willingness to recognize his responsibilities. Our present age is not one for the bystanders. If we are to survive as a nation and as a society, we must have young people willing to commit themselves in every sense of the word. Good citizenship demands participation, involvement and contribution. In short, it demands giving of oneself."

There were many means by which this commitment may be accomplished, and Governor-General Vanier said that, "among them, were the Company of Young Canadians and the Canadian University Service Overseas."

Community Projects

"In these and other similar organizations," he said, "you will have a chance to learn how most effectively to give out your time, your effort, and your heart…I think also of the responsibilities which you now take over in your community projects.

"These are the public evidence in which your sense of service can become manifest, but there are private and individual attitudes as well which must not be forgotten. Giving of ourselves is an act which should govern our everyday relationships with those whom we meet, for each person can profit from our help in some way, each person can be comforted by our sympathy or restored by our encouragement."

In concluding his address, the governor-general said he wished to speak on the subject of the family, "a subject which, as you know, is very dear to both my wife’s and my own heart.

"The more we see of Canada," he said, "and the more we come to realize how much the traditional social patterns of our national way of life are changing, the more we realize how important has become the place of the family in the survival of our civilization."

Psychologists tell us, His Excellency said, that a person’s character and personality are virtually formed during the first few years of his existence. If a child has a wholesome, devoted and disciplined environment during his early years, he said, the qualities he develops at that time will last him throughout his life and ensure his success and well-being in future years.

Handicap

But, the Governor-General said, "if a child is denied the love he must receive, if he is not taught the virtues of discipline, service, integrity and unselfishness, a handicap is imposed upon him from which he may never recover.

"Sociologists tell us that a delinquent is formed in the first 10 years of his life, formed primarily as a result of shortcomings in his family life. Just as a house is built of bricks, a nation is build of small family units. Just as a house is as strong as the quality of its individual bricks, so a nation will only be as strong as the unity and integrity of its families.

"And yet," he said, "there is cause to wonder whether the importance of the family unit is as fully appreciated today as it might be. This is an age of moral laissez-faire, and so great have been the social changes we have witnessed that many parents have been tempted to imagine they have nothing to teach their children

"And yet, because of the very uncertainty which pervades our social relationships, our children have never been more in need of firm affectionate guidance than they are today."