Remarks by
The Honourable John Harvard, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
Lieutenant Governor's
Medal for Literacy
Government House
Thursday, February 25, 2005 - 7:00 p.m.
Educators, readers, Manitobans -- believers in the power of the written word -- welcome to this annual
celebration of a cause that is essential to a free and healthy society.
That cause, of course, is literacy.
For 15 years, the Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Literacy has recognized
the devotion of Manitobans to adult literacy, to literacy support for
at-risk or special needs children, to creating resources and expertise
in the field of literacy, to service above and beyond the call of duty.
Your work helps Manitobans young and old, urban and rural, from all walks of life, to live a more full,
more successful and freer life.
If we are to make progress in Manitoba on some of our long-standing challenges
– our child poverty rate, social conditions in aboriginal communities,
economic and social development in areas of endemic poverty – we must
value the work you do in promoting literacy.
Your work is essential not just to this province, but to Canada if we are to live up to the potential
in our Charter of Rights and be a nation of freedom and equality.
The importance of literacy has been known for millennia. The ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus said:
"only the educated are free."
He meant knowledge and the ability to reason are essential for the exercise of free choice. If you can’t
understand the options available to you in life and you choose your course out of habit, you aren’t truly free.
What he said nearly 2000 years ago is true today in another way: only people who can read can participate
fully in our democracy or our economy. So in a very real sense only the educated – the literate – are
politically or economically free.
Whatever aspect of the cause of literacy you serve, you are enriching
our society and broadening our democracy. Whether your focus is preparing
preschoolers for learning, encouraging families to value reading, providing
support and resources for educators, helping at-risk youth, or helping
adults improve their literacy skills, you deserve the sincere thanks of
Manitoba and of Canada.
I know that some of you have been serving the cause of literacy for decades, virtually
your entire working lives, both in your professional careers and your volunteer commitments.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I am proud to follow in the footsteps of my predecessors – the
late Honourable George Johnson, the Honourable Yvon Dumont and the Honourable Peter Liba – in honouring
this year’s nominees for the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Literacy.
Thank you and may your work bring Manitobans freedom and understanding for many years to come.
Back to January/February 2005 Speeches |
