(Ottawa) In her annual New Year’s message, Governor General Mary Simon calls on Canadians to commit to kindness.
The Governor General indicates that the year 2023 was marked by the challenges posed by climate change and global conflicts.
Canada has also made “significant progress toward reconciliation” and celebrated new chapters in its history, she added.
In his speech, Mme Simon speaks alternately in English, Inuktitut, her mother tongue, and French, which she is still learning at present.
She says people adapt to change in different ways, including with kindness.
Over the past year, she honored people who turned challenges into opportunities.
Their stories should serve as an example of the word “ajuinnata,” which in Inuktitut means “never give up.”
It was with these same words that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ended his speech to Parliament in September, saying that Mme Simon had communicated this to him during their meeting.
Mme Simon ends his end-of-year speech by calling on Canadians to commit “to action and kindness, no matter how hopeless the situation may be.”
She also invites them to meet the challenges of the coming year “by maintaining a renewed sense of harmony”.