Inauguration of the 30th General Assembly of 
the Organization of American States
Windsor, Ontario
June 4, 2000

Remarks by Prime Minister Jean Chr�tien At the Inauguration of the 30th General Assembly of the Organization of American States


Mr. Secretary General.
Excellencies.
Ladies and gentlemen.

I am delighted to welcome La Gran Familia of the Americas to Windsor and to Canada. For the 30th General Assembly of the Organization of American States.

The people of Windsor are pleased and proud to be your hosts. They are eager to show off their home to you. And have spared no effort to make you feel at home. On behalf of all Canadians, I want to thank them for being such great ambassadors for our country.

And I want to pay a special tribute to two of our finest public servants. Our Deputy Prime Minister, the Honourable Herb Gray. His love of Windsor and his commitment to her people have been unwavering. And your Chair, the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, a man who has also served his country with honour and distinction for many years.

We meet at the first General Assembly of the 21st century. Together, we stand at a cross road in time. On the crest of an extraordinary period of change and opportunity.

In recent years, we have seen an explosion of new technology. Breaking down old constraints of time and distance. Sweeping away traditional economic structures and assumptions. Creating a new economy, in which knowledge, innovation and creativity are the keys to prosperity. We have seen the collapse of out-dated ideologies. And the rapid development of a truly global economy and a global village.

Our common challenge as nations, here in the Americas and beyond, is to capture the potential of these transformations and give it a human face. To pool our wisdom toward ensuring that this explosion in the quantity of technology and information has -- as its foremost objective -- improving the quality of life of people.

This is a tall order. One that will require a sense of common purpose. A foundation of shared values. And conviction that each of us, as nations, has a stake in the success and well-being of the other. When I use the term " La Gran Familia" to express my vision of the Americas, it is precisely with this in mind.

And as I reflect on the 10 years since Canada joined the OAS, I am filled with confidence that our hemispheric neighbourhood is becoming a hemispheric family.

In the past decade, we have seen the consolidation of democracy and the growth of free markets. Together, we have embraced shared values and common goals. Strengthening democracy. Protecting human rights. Enhancing human security. And, above all, giving all of our peoples the chance to realize their full potential.

The OAS has played a key role in fostering shared values across the Americas. It has done important work in the promotion of democratic institutions, human rights and technical cooperation. And in ensuring that it is people who remain at the centre of our hemispheric agenda. I know this will be an important part of your discussions over the coming two days.

I have just come from a major conference in Berlin. "Progressive Governance for the 21st Century." The strong representation of our hemisphere -- presidents Clinton. De la Rua. Lagos. Cardoso and myself -- says a lot about how La Gran Familia is regarded in the world.

As friends and partners, we showcased our common will to make the needs of our people the primary object of our work together. And this unshakable commitment will be at centre stage next spring in Qu�bec City, when I will welcome you to the first Summit of the Americas of the new century.

Previous Summits in Miami and Santiago have set a high standard and mapped out an ambitious agenda. We have much to do to get ready. The discussions that Foreign Ministers are having here will make a substantial contribution to the process of developing priorities. With your continued engagement and guidance, I know that the Canadian Summit will mark yet another historic milestone on the road to making the Americas more free, more secure and more prosperous.

For Canada...the idea of La Gran Familia is about shared prosperity and well-being. Poverty has always been a powerful enemy of freedom. Hungry stomachs and despair make fertile ground for the forces of reaction. A growing economy, good jobs and the promise of new opportunity are the pillars of a secure society -- and a secure hemisphere.

That is why Canada is a champion of the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Launching these negotiations at Santiago was a bold step. An expression of our faith in the dynamism, talent and energy of our people. A vote of confidence in ourselves.

Enhanced trade and investment flows are the engines of economic growth and prosperity. And Canada is living proof. We have always been a trading nation. We developed quickly because we opened ourselves to trade and investment from around the world. And we achieved one of the highest standards of living in the world. With prosperity as our foundation, we have made key social investments that have broadened opportunity and enhanced our quality of life. We have enjoyed the benefits of more open trade, and we want to see them shared by all.

As a Canadian, as the leader of a nation that derives over forty percent of its GDP from international trade, I understand how vital it is to keep markets open. And how much that depends on trade and investment regimes that are fair and transparent.

That is why NAFTA is about much more than reduced tariffs. It is about dispute settlement, national treatment, procurement codes, transparency, and impartiality. It is, in short, about creating a rules-based system for traders and investors. So that we can build new prosperity, create more jobs and enhance the quality of life of our people.

That is why we also concluded a free trade agreement with Chile. And that is why we believe that we must press ahead with an FTAA that can produce benefits for all nations of the hemisphere -- big and small. I hope, and expect, that by 2005 we can have such an agreement.

For Canada, La Gran Familia means more than trade and commerce. It also means encouraging full and equal participation by all our citizens in the economic and political life of our countries. I am not suggesting that we should be guided by simple idealism. Our motivation and our objectives must be practical. They must produce concrete benefits for our people.

The OAS knows that it must become more inclusive. That providing space for reasoned debate leads to greater understanding, constructive dialogue and cooperative endeavours with civil society. That is why I am pleased that at this General Assembly, more civil society organizations than ever before are expressing their views. This should serve as our guide for the future.

And we should carry this effort beyond institutional dialogue. For democracy to take deeper root, all citizens must be heard. Our actions should empower groups whose voices have, too often, not been heard.

It is only by engaging all of our citizens, by ensuring that their voices are heard, that we will gain the confidence we need to achieve our goals. Only by debating openly will we convince the doubters and galvanize our nations behind us as we move ahead.

Ladies and gentlemen, for Canada, La Gran Familia is also about connecting people through cyberspace. Because the advantages of connectivity go beyond E-Commerce. They encompass education and health, in fact, every sphere of human endeavour. Connectivity can contribute directly to making the lives of our people better. And that is what the focus of our polices should be.

Governments have a pivotal role to play in how these new technologies are developed and shared. In ensuring that their ability to span great distances, expand access to knowledge and increase economic productivity is put to the service of all our people.

I believe that the governments of the Americas, in partnership with the private sector, civil society, international financial institutions, and regional and international organizations must work together in this area. As leaders of our societies, we have a special responsibility to make sure that entire populations are not left behind by the technological revolution. Our job is to ensure that the emerging technologies build bridges, not widen the gaps that already exist.

I am confident that by working together, with patience and perseverance, we will better connect all of our nations and all of our citizens to each other.

And that, in the end, is our shared goal. To inspire in our people a true feeling of belonging to a Gran Familia -- from Baffin Island to Tierra del Fuego. One that respects our differences. A community of the Americas made up of people who can express their identity while still communicating with ease - as neighbours, as friends, and as members of the same family.

This is a challenge that will certainly be at the centre of our discussions next April. Hasta pronto en Qu�bec.

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