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My wife, Sharon, and I are delighted to welcome you to the Citadelle, one of Canada’s jewels in the historic City of Québec.

This building has been the second official residence of the governors general since our country’s Confederation in 1867, and the history of this city goes back more than four centuries to the time of Samuel de Champlain—Canada’s first governor in all but name.

I think it is fitting that we are gathered in this beautiful city founded by Champlain on the occasion of the International Summit of Cooperatives. Each of you is a leader within your respective organizations, and even today Champlain has a great deal to teach us about leadership.

Permit me to share something of his fascinating biography with you. 

One of Champlain’s most important lessons is one that I have taken to heart throughout my life and career: a good leader understands his or her total dependence on the people around him.

As an explorer, Champlain meticulously gathered information on the geography and society of the New World from Basque whalers and fishermen, as well as local First Nations. Indeed, the settlement he established at Port Royal would not have survived its first winter in 1605 were it not for the generous help of its Aboriginal neighbours.

This brings me to several other key characteristics of good leadership: learning; fairness; accountability; and risk-taking.

Champlain was a careful student of earlier attempts at colonization, applying the lessons of history to his own experience. The value he placed on justice and the rule of law gave him the legitimacy to lead through conditions of almost unimaginable hardship. He was accountable to both the King in France and to those he led, but he also knew that success sometimes called for calculated risks.

As you can see, the challenges of leadership are timeless!

Of course, none of us can compare our situation today to that faced by Champlain in the early 17th century. And yet, we are living through a major hinge point in world history, characterized by rapid change, profound globalization, and the communications revolution heralded by the arrival of the Internet.

So in a very real sense, we are all navigating uncharted waters.

The co-operative movement is so important to the well-being of so many people, and I am encouraged that you are gathering once again this year to share ideas and work together.

Wise, bold and fair leadership will be critical to the success of your respective organizations. Innovation is a must, not for its own sake, but in order to stay relevant in a competitive, global environment.

We live in challenging, but also exciting times, in which there is a pressing need for great leadership—for your leadership.

I hope that your time here is productive and enlightening, and I wish you the every success in your important work.

Thank you. 

src:news.gc.ca