APTN National News
OTTAWA–Aboriginal people will be “reborn from their pain and misery” by drawing on the “strength” from the country’s land, outgoing Governor General Michaelle Jean said in a “Letter to Canadians” released Thursday.
Jean’s five-year term has drawn to a close and she will replaced as the Queen’s representative by academic David Johnston on Friday.
In her letter, Jean reminisced on her five years in Rideau Hall, dealing with two prime ministers and facing the war in Afghanistan.
Jean also issued a farewell to her “Aboriginal sisters and brothers” in a paragraph which waxed poetical about the “dazzling beauty” of the land. Jean said she drew lessons from the heritage of the country’s original inhabitants.
“I have travelled, filled with wonder, all across this generous country, which for millennia has guarded the memory of our Aboriginal sisters and brothers, who look to it for the strength they need to be reborn from their pain and misery, a country they cherish like a mother,” said Jean. “I have explored areas of misery and of happiness, without ever growing weary. I have also drawn a lot of lessons from this ancestral heritage, and found within it our joys, our pains and our deepest roots.”
Jean, drawing on her roots in Haiti, also called for a renewed focus on education.
“Whether in a country that has known so much misery, like Haiti, or one rich in resources, like Canada, it is essential that we make it a priority to build on access to education for every child and to invest in education for young people. We must also bridge the gaps here at home if we do not want them to widen any further,” said Jean.
Jean said she had travelled around the world nearly 40 times on behalf of Canadians, each time driven by “hope…in the belief that Canada can continue to accomplish great things.”
Jean said she would now be turning her efforts to a charitable foundation in her name and a new posting with UN agency UNESCO.
“You are not born the governor general and commander-in-chief of Canada, you answer the call of destiny with a desire to serve your fellow Canadians and invest years of your life and all your energy to become these. With all of you by my side, all of you who have inspired me, I was able to embark on this adventure with the greatest hope and all the conviction I needed,” said Jean.
