Groundbreaking Video

Transcript

A dream becomes reality 2012

Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Ground Breaking Event, December 19, 2008

Patrick O’Reilly — Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Good afternoon, and welcome to the groundbreaking ceremony that will mark construction of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Today we are taking part in the symbolic sod-turning ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of the new museum. And what better way to begin this event marking an important stage in the life of our country than to join together in singing our national anthem. I would now like to invite musicians from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the youth choir with students from Dufferin and Mulvey schools here in Winnipeg, to lead us in singing this morning. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the singing of the national anthem.

Youth Choir — Students from Mulvey and Dufferin Schools

(singing) O Canada

Patrick O’Reilly — Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Ladies and gentlemen, 2008 has been a remarkable year. We saw the Government of Prime Minister Harper table in Parliament an historic bill to amend the Museums Act seeking to create Canada's fifth national museum. All parties in Parliament supported the bill, and in record time both Houses of Parliament gave their approval. In August, the Governor General named eight eminent Canadians to the board of trustees, and at their first meeting in September, they appointed the first senior staff of the Museum. Our small team of staff, with the support of our board of trustees, the Friends of the Museum and numerous partners, has undertaken the monumental task of planning our building and our operations.

At the same time, we’ve begun to plan for when the doors open, in about three years. We’ve envisioned that, through those doors, Canadians, and indeed visitors from around the world, will access challenging and inspiring content. We recognize the challenge that Winnipeggers, Manitobans and Canadians have set out before us, and we recognize that the world is watching. Our imaginations have been captured by the iconic design by Antoine Predock for our new home. Setting up a tent in Winnipeg, in the middle of December, for a groundbreaking ceremony is not a likely choice, just as building a national museum outside of the National Capital Region may not have seemed, at one time, a likely choice. But you’re in the tent with us today because you believed in the dream. Your presence here today is proof that this dream has become a reality. Your presence demonstrates a commitment and passion for what this museum represents: a place for dialogue, reflection, inspiration and action.

The Honourable James Moore — Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

Good afternoon, everyone. I am delighted to be here for the groundbreaking ceremony for Canada’s newest national museum. This exciting initiative is the first national museum to be established in Canada in forty years and the first one to be located outside of the National Capital Region in our history. The very history associated with The Forks makes this an ideal location. After all, it was here that many of Canada’s First Peoples met in an effort to resolve their differences peacefully.

By building a museum entirely devoted to respect for human rights, we honour that tradition of peaceful co-existence. All levels of government in Canada have shown their commitment to promoting human rights and combating racism. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is a fine example of our common work to achieve these goals.

The Government of Canada is proud to have played a leading role in the development of this national museum, along with the Province of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg and of course, the generous donations of private sponsors led by the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Now I have both the pleasure and the privilege of introducing our next speaker. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper.

Right Honourable Stephen Harper — Prime Minister of Canada

Thank you, James, for that kind introduction.

Greetings to Premier Doer, Deputy Mayor Swandel and to all my colleagues.

Greetings as well to the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and members of the Asper family.

Ladies and gentlemen, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is fitting that we should come together to break ground on the site of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Today’s ceremony is a historic moment in the story of human rights in Canada. Together we are building a monument to Canada’s embrace of humanity’s highest ideals.

This monument will, fittingly, be placed here at The Forks, an historic meeting place for Canada’s Aboriginal peoples, where I’m told they engaged not only in trade and commerce, but also met to peacefully resolve their differences.

The spectacular building that will arise on this site will be a place where future generations of Canadians and visitors from around the world can learn about the history of human rights in Canada, and be inspired to build on this proud legacy.

Throughout Canada’s history, wave after wave of immigrants fleeing oppression, persecution and tyranny have found sanctuary, justice and freedom on our shores.

Together we have built the most peaceful and prosperous country the world has ever known.

Our political culture is anchored in the best traditions of our founding peoples: the British limitations on the power of the rulers, first enshrined in the Magna Carta; the French articulation of individual rights in the Declaration of the Rights of Man; and the consensual, restorative justice traditions practised by our First Peoples.

Canada wove these ideals into the constitutional fabric of our nation, beginning with the British North America Act through the Bill of Rights, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. And to this day we continue to refine and expand our rights protections to ensure that all Canadians enjoy freedom of speech, assembly and worship, equality before the law and fully representative and responsible government.

I’d like to thank the man whose idea it was to pay homage to Canada’s noble human rights tradition, the late Izzy Asper.

This museum, the realization of his extraordinary vision, will serve as the capstone of his legacy.

As Izzy himself said: “In order to understand why a country’s worth having, you have to know where it came from.”

I’d also like to thank the Asper family for their tireless efforts to see Izzy’s dream through to fruition, as well as Premier Doer and Mayor Katz for their generous support for this worthy endeavour.

And finally, of course, I’d like to thank all the private citizens who’ve donated — and donated substantially —to this project.

Often moved by deeply personal reasons, thousands of Canadians are contributing to Izzy’s dream.

They include, among others, Wendy Hayward-Miskiewicz of Winnipeg, whose son James was killed in Afghanistan last summer. Corporal Hayward Arnal, a man described by his commanding officer as “utterly fearless,” gave his life defending the values this museum will celebrate, namely freedom, democracy and human rights.

Let us all work together to protect our families and our future.

It is the responsibility of all of us to keep our land, Canada, glorious and free.

Thank you very much.

Patrick O’Reilly — Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Museum for Human Rights

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights will place not only Manitoba, but all of Canada, at the forefront of human rights advancements worldwide. Please join me in welcoming Premier Gary Doer.

The Honourable Gary Doer — Premier of Manitoba

Thank you Patrick. Prime Minister Harper, Elders. It is interesting to note that the grandfather of one of the members of this wonderful choir that was singing O Canada for all of us this afternoon is in the audience to help bless the soil later on. I think that’s very fitting for all of us because this has always been a project that brought together the generations in Manitoba and in Canada. It is certainly a ceremony to celebrate today, with the sod-turning and the dirt-shovelling exercise, but it has been made possible, as the Prime Minister said, by of all you that have come together to raise the funds. It has been made possible by the vision and the strength of the late Izzy Asper, who told us that we had to not only build this museum for human rights, we had to build it outside of the Capital Region of Canada, in Winnipeg, and we had to make sure it was a world-class facility and program located here at The Forks. The announcement of making this Canadian Museum for Human Rights a national cultural institution to be located outside of the Capital Region, in the gateway of the West, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and to have all of those operating investments go into this national institution, has made it possible to shovel this dirt today and move forward in this museum. I want to thank the Prime Minister on the behalf of all of us for this leadership.

I even remember one of the media questions, “Why is this different?” Well, the operating costs year over year over year, the net present value is significant, but the passion and policy is even more important to locate institutions in all regions of Canada and that is why this announcement today is also very, very significant.

And what better place than the gateway to the West, in Winnipeg, and Western Canada in terms of human rights. We’ve had histories of B.C. being the first province to have new Canadians have the right to vote, the human right to vote. We have the example of the Person’s case in Alberta where all our daughters and all our sons are treated equally with that case. We have of course John Diefenbaker from Saskatchewan coming from Prince Albert providing First Nations people in 1960 the right to vote here in Canada. And of course in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1916 and 17 the debate took place and Manitoba women were the first ones to receive the right to vote in Canada. So that’s a significant reason why Western Canada.

And this is a vision that I think will be received by people and youth in particular across Canada and across the world. It’s a very powerful message that against some of the issues of cynicism that we deal with every day, that there is indeed hope that can start with one person standing up for the human rights of their fellow citizens here in Canada. And so that’s why, when we turn the sod today we’re celebrating a cultural institution that says to everyone from sea to sea to sea, that each and every individual can make a difference, and this Human Rights Museum will make sure that they all know that this is possible.

Thank you very, very much. Congratulations.

Justin Swandel — Deputy Mayor of Winnipeg

As your deputy mayor, it’s an honour to be here today on behalf of Mayor Sam Katz, as we get shovels into the ground and bring Winnipeg a step closer to the realization of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. This dynamic project symbolizes the spirit of our city, its rich culture and our passionate citizenry. What began as the remarkable dream of Izzy Asper will soon be a shining star, symbolizing a world of tolerance, unity and acceptance, right here in one of North America’s most culturally diverse urban centres.

I can tell you that Winnipeggers are immensely proud to be home to the only museum in the world dedicated to human rights.

Patrick O’Reilly — Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Ladies and gentlemen, our next speaker needs no introduction. If anyone has lived and breathed this museum for the past seven years, it is Gail Asper. Her leadership and tenacity have been instrumental in bringing us here today for this momentous occasion.

She’s led the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Humans Rights in a fundraising campaign that has raised one hundred and two million dollars to date. She’s taken the dream, as we’ve heard today, that her father, the late Izzy Asper, had for this museum, and she’s lived it with unparalleled passion and dedication, working to make the dream a reality.

Please join me in welcoming Gail Asper.

Gail Asper O.C., O.M., LL.D.
National Campaign Chair — Friend of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

As you can imagine, this is a terribly exciting moment for me and my family and our passionately dedicated staff, our pathologically loyal volunteers and our breathtakingly generous supporters. I am of course extremely happy to be here with all of you to celebrate this extraordinary event. Just over five years ago, I stood here with many others to participate in another ceremony for the Museum, organized by the relentlessly determined and heartbroken Moe Levy. And it was an unprecedented act of faith and I thank him, because only days before, we had mourned the sudden death of our mentor and inspiration, and taskmaster extraordinaire, my father, Izzy Asper. And with the deal not sealed, zero funds raised and the leader gone, many thought the improbable if not the impossible dream of a National Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg died with him. But it didn’t because we didn’t let it. It was the faith of all these people that kept the dream alive and kept me determined until another leader appeared on the scene, the leader we needed, who came forward to make the dream a reality, Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

My father only knew how to make big plans and his favourite axiom was “never do a little deal.” He taught me and this community and this nation, even after his death, how to aim high and reach those stars. This museum was envisioned as a way to improve the social condition in Canada and around the world, to ensure that we, as citizens, never remain bystanders in the face of evil. It was John Peters Humphrey, after all, who 60 years ago this month said, “there’s a fundamental connection between human rights and peace. We will have peace on earth when everyone’s rights are respected.” I hope that we all remember December 19, 2008, as the day in which a momentous and monumental gift was given to the world, thanks to the leadership of our Prime Minister and the faith of thousands of Canadians who made it happen.

Merry Christmas to you all, Happy Hanukkah, peace on earth. Thank you.

Arni C. Thorsteinson
Chair, Board of Trustees, Canadian Museum for Human Rights

As a proud Canadian resident in Manitoba, I’m very honoured to be the founding chair of the first national museum outside of Ottawa. This project represents an unprecedented challenge and opportunity for Manitoba and Canada to create the North American equivalent of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain, and we truly believe that in 10 years from now, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, will gain the same recognition and bring the same prestige and economic benefits to Winnipeg, Canada.

Thank you for joining us to celebrate this important milestone.
Thank you again.

Patrick O’Reilly — Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Ladies and gentlemen, The Forks has been a meeting place for thousands of years. As the Prime Minister told us, people of all nations have come to not only conduct trade, but to settle disputes peacefully. It is therefore fitting that we honour the land that will be home to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, through a laying down of tobacco ceremony. Please join me in warmly welcoming Jules and Margaret Lavallee.

Jules and Margaret Lavallee
Elders

I love the opportunity to be here, to be here on this land, which means so, so much to us, as the original people. There are three generations of my family here today. Thank you, Premier Doer, for acknowledging that. My granddaughter is part… her name is Sydney Cri. There is my granddaughter. She is part of the singers from Dufferin School today. And my son and my daughter-in-law are going to be part of the ceremony and of course, my wife. We are going to be offering tobacco where this ground will be broken, and that tobacco will be offered with prayers. The ceremony of the tobacco offering has been among us for years and years and years and years and when we put it down, it's to honour a dream, it’s to honour a vision, it’s to honour an idea.

(Singing) We Are All One People