Remarks by
The Honourable John Harvard, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
Season for Nonviolence
Ramada Conference Centre
Sunday, January 30, 2005 - 7:00 p.m.
Good evening friends and fellow Manitobans, believers in the power of nonviolence.
Back in 1998 the grandson of Mohandas Gandhi proclaimed what he called A Season for Nonviolence to
bring to the public's attention the inspiring and timeless messages of his grandfather and Martin Luther
King.
Decades ago Gandhi said: "Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is
mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man." Those are the
words of a wise man, a saint if you will and this year, calling attention to the pressing need for
non-violence and peaceful social change has never been more important.
Ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, war in Iraq, genocide in Sudan and Rwanda, no country is totally free
of the scourge of violence that can range from physical harm to families to the wholesale slaughter of
thousands caught up in sectarian or religious conflict – at home and abroad we see a world in need of
non-violence.
Just last week the world marked the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.
The murderous assault on the Jews of Europe – like the Nazi policy of murdering Roma, homosexuals, people
with disabilities – horrified the world and prompted an international cry of "Never Again".
Sadly, the world has since learned that genocide and war have not been stamped out. Confronted with the
reality and resilience of violence, it might be tempting to lose hope and lose faith.
But fortunately we have inspiring examples of women and men who refuse to do that.
Here in Canada we can be proud of fellow citizens like General Romeo
Dallaire, whose award-winning book Shake Hands With the Devil, has done
much to remind the international community of its failure to prevent the
genocide in Rwanda. We have the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Louise Arbour, who did so much in the 1990s to bring individuals guilty
of war crimes to justice.
There is our own Dr. Lloyd Axworthy who, as Canada's Foreign Affairs
Minister, led a courageous world wide campaign for the successful adoption
of the international Landmines Treaty.
We have the millions of Canadians who support peacekeeping and community-building efforts at home and
abroad or who open their arms to refugees from violence and oppression. And we have the many supporters of
the proposed Canadian Museum for Human Rights, who are striving to build a museum right here in Winnipeg
to educate and inspire future generations to make peaceful change for the better.
These many champions of peace and human dignity – including the organizers of this season of celebration –
remind us of the words of Gandhi. He said: "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a
few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."
Events like this help to bring humanity together. And when we come together, we see how much we have in
common, and how interdependent we are. As Dr. King said: "All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality."
We are all connected – locally, nationally and internationally – and
by working together peacefully we can build a better, more just, more
secure, healthier world.
That is something to celebrate for a season and for a lifetime.
Thank you.
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