President Obama Addresses Parliament - VoiceTube: Learn English through videos!

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(applause)
Prime Minister Trudeau: Merci, Monsieur le President.
Female Speaker:: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Prime Minister Trudeau: Thank you, dear friends.
It's wonderful to see you all here today.
Mr. President, it's an honor to welcome you
to Parliament.
On behalf of all Canadians, welcome to our house.
(cheers, applause)
Prime Minister Trudeau: Before
we begin, I would like to
ask we begin, I would like to ask everyone
here today to join us in a moment of
silence in memory of those killed and injured in
yesterday's attack in Istanbul.
Merci.
Female Speaker:: Thank you.
Prime Minister Trudeau: Mr. President, the house
extraordinary moments in history.
It's where governments made the difficult
decision to send young men and women to war.
Decisions that forever changed our country and
the world.
It was here in 1922 that Agnes Macphail, our first
female member of Parliament, showed
generations of Canadian girls that yes, they could.
(cheers, applause)
Prime Minister Trudeau: And now, finally, this house gets
to see a bromance up close.
(laughter)
Prime Minister Trudeau: Thanks for making that possible --
(laughter)
Prime Minister Trudeau: -- although I still think
"dude-plomacy" is more accurate, but I'll get
over it.
(laughter)
Prime Minister Trudeau: The truth is that, while Barack and
I are friends, it's a friendship that is far
from unique.
[speaking foreign language]
Female Speaker:: Be it through family, friends,
social media, or even by the $2.4 billion in goods
and services that cross our border every day, the
links between Canadians and Americans are everywhere.
And it is through those relationships that we give
life to what President Kennedy stated when he
addressed this house: "What unites us is far
greater than what divides us."
Canadians and Americans are united in their quest
for peace and prosperity.
We all want real opportunities for success.
Prime Minister Trudeau: And we understand that economic
growth means most when it improves the lives of the
people who work so hard to secure it, especially the
middle class and those working hard to join it.
And we echo the values of President Roosevelt, who
said the test of our progress is not whether we
add more to the abundance of those who have so much;
it is whether we provide enough for those who have
too little.
Canadians and Americans are also united in our
desire to leave to our children and grandchildren
a better world - a safer, cleaner world - than the
one we inherited from our parents.
That's an ambitious goal, but not one beyond our reach.
Today we made an important down payment on that
cleaner future with the new Continental Climate
Change Strategy.
(cheers, applause)
Prime Minister Trudeau: And finally, and, at this moment,
critically, Canadians and Americans are united in
our understanding that diversity is a source of
strength, not weakness.
Generation after generation, our countries
have welcome newcomers seeking liberty and the
promise of a bitter life.
And generation after generation, our identities
and our economies have been enriched by these new
perspectives, not threatened by them.
The North American idea that diversity is strength
is our great gift to the world.
No matter where you are from or the faith you
profess, nor the color of your skin, nor whom you
love, you belong here.
This is home.
(cheers, applause)
Prime Minister Trudeau: So let us reaffirm today with our
American cousins the spirit that, 153 years
ago, Abraham Lincoln called "the last, best
hope on Earth": openness, diversity, inclusion,
responsible self-government, freedom
for all people - these ideas are as important
today as they have ever been.
And we will promote them together.
On all these things - on economic opportunity, on
the environment, on building a more inclusive
and diverse society - Canadians and Americans agree.
[speaking foreign language]
Female Speaker:: When people say that the
President and I share a special relationship,
there's something that they often don't realize:
We're not inspired by each other, but by the people
whom we have the privilege of serving.
From the mother who does overtime in order to pay
her rent and buy new clothing for her daughter
and save a little money to help her parents; from the
retiree who gives his time to teaching children the
importance of wetlands; the communities that come
together after a natural disaster or who walk
side-by-side, hand-in-hand, to affirm
the right to love one another.
Prime Minister Trudeau: These are the stories I will think
of when I consider President Obama's time
in office.
History books will record the signature policies,
but I will remember -- what I hope we all will
remember - are the lessons that you taught us not by
executive order but by example.
That we are accountable --
(cheers, applause)
Prime Minister Trudeau: The lesson that we are accountable
to each other, that we are stronger together than we
are apart, that we are more alike than we are
different, and that there is a place in this world
for politics that is hopeful, hardworking,
ambitious, and kind.
Mr. President, in your last State of the Union
Address you said of the American people that they
are clear-eyed, big-hearted, undaunted,
and optimistic.
I can think of no better way to describe their leader.
Barack, welcome to Canada.
[speaking foreign language]
Female Speaker:: Ladies and gentlemen, the President
of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
(cheers, applause)
President Obama: Thank you so much.
Thank you.
(applause)
Thank you, everybody.
(applause)
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Please, everyone have a seat.
Thank you.
(applause)
Thank you so much.
Good evening.
Bonjour.
Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker, members of the
House, members of the Senate, distinguished
guests, people of Canada -- thank you for this
extraordinary welcome, which temps me to just shut up
and leave.
(laughter)
Because it can't get any better than this.
(laughter)
Obviously I'm grateful for the warm welcome.
I'm extraordinarily grateful for the close working
relationship and friendship with your outstanding Prime
Minister, Justin Trudeau, and his extraordinary
wife, Sophie.
But I think it's fair to say that much of this greeting
is simply a reflection of the extraordinary alliance
and deep friendship between Canadians and Americans.
Justin, thank you for your very kind words, and for the
new energy and hope that your leadership has brought
to your nation as well as to the alliance.
My time in office may be nearing an end, but I know
that Canada -- and the world -- will benefit from your
leadership for years to come.
(applause)
So Canada was the very first country that I visited
as President.
It was in February.
(laughter)
It was colder.
(laughter)
I was younger.
(laughter)
Michelle now refers to my hair as the Great White North.
(laughter)
And on that visit, I strolled around the ByWard
Market, tried a "beaver tail" --
(laughter)
-- which is better than it sounds.
(laughter)
And I was struck then, as I am again today, by the
warmth of the Canadians.
I could not be more honored to be joining you in this
historic hall -- this cathedral of freedom.
And we Americans can never say it enough -- we could
not ask for a better friend or ally than Canada.
(applause)
We could not.
It's true.
It is true.
And we do not take it for granted.
That does not mean we don't have our differences.
As I understand it, one of the reasons the Queen chose
this site for Parliament was that it was a safe distance
from America's border.
(laughter)
And I admit, in the War of 1812, American troops did
some damage to Toronto.
I suspect that there were some people up here who
didn't mind when the British returned the favor and
burned down the White House.
(laughter)
In more recent times, however, the only forces
crossing our borders are the armies of tourists and
businesspeople and families who are shopping and doing
business and visiting loved ones.
Our only battles take place inside the hockey rink.
Even there, there's an uneasy peace that
is maintained.
As Americans, we, too, celebrate the life of
Mr. Hockey himself, the late, great Gordie Howe.
(applause)
Just as Canadians can salute American teams for winning
more Stanley Cups in the NHL.
(laughter)
Audience: Ooooh --
President Obama: I told you I should
have stopped after the applause.
(laughter)
But in a world where too many borders are a source of
conflict, our two countries are joined by the longest
border of peace on Earth.
(applause)
And what makes our relationship so unique is
not just proximity.
It's our enduring commitment to a set of values -- a
spirit, alluded to by Justin, that says no matter
who we are, where we come from, what our last names
are, what faith we practice, here we can make of our
lives what we will.
It was the grit of pioneers and prospectors who pushed
West across a forbidding frontier.
The dreams of generations -- immigrants, refugees -- that
we've welcomed to these shores.
The hope of run-away slaves who went north on an
underground railroad.
"Deep in our history of struggle," said Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., "Canada was the north star...
The freedom road links us together."
We're bound as well by the service of those who've
defended us -- at Flanders Field, the beaches of
Normandy, in the skies of the Balkans, and more
recently, in the mountains of Afghanistan, and training
bases in Iraq.
Their sacrifice is reflected in the silent rows of
Arlington and in the Peace Tower above us.
Today we honor those who gave their lives for all of us.
(applause)
We're linked together, as well, by the institutions
that we've built to keep the peace: A United Nations to
advance our collective aspirations.
A NATO alliance to ensure our security.
NORAD, where Americans and Canadians stand watch side
by side -- and track Santa on Christmas Eve.
(laughter)
We're linked by a vast web of commerce that carries
goods from one end of this continent to another.
And we're linked by the ties of friendship and family --
in my case, an outstanding brother-in-law in Burlington.
(applause)
Had to give Burlington a shout out.
(applause)
Our relationship is so remarkable precisely because
it seems so unremarkable -- which is why Americans often
are surprised when our favorite American actor or
singer turns out to be Canadian!
(applause)
The point is we see ourselves in each other, and
our lives are richer for it.
As President, I've deepened the ties between our countries.
And because of the progress we've made in recent years,
I can stand before you and say that the enduring
partnership between Canada and the United States is as
strong as it has ever been, and we are more closely
aligned than ever before.
(applause)
And yet, we meet at a pivotal moment for our
nations and for the globe.
From this vibrant capital, we can look upon a world
that has benefited enormously from the
international order that we helped to build together'
but we can see that same order increasingly strained
by the accelerating forces of change.
The world is by most every measure less violent than
ever before; but it remains riven by old divisions and
fresh hatreds.
The world is more connected than ever before; but even
as it spreads knowledge and the possibility of greater
understanding between peoples, it also empowers
terrorists who spread hatred and death -- most recently
in Orlando and Istanbul.
The world is more prosperous than ever before, but
alongside globalization and technological wonders we
also see a rise in inequality and wage
stagnation across the advanced economies, leaving
too many workers and communities fearful of
diminishing prospects, not just for themselves, but
more importantly, for their children.
And in the face of such rising uncertainty, it is
not enough to look at aggregate growth rates, or
stock prices, or the pace of digital innovation.
If the benefits of globalization accrue only to
those at the very top, if our democracies seem
incapable of assuring broad-based growth and
opportunity for everyone, then people will push back,
out of anger or out of fear.
And politicians -- some sincere, and some entirely
cynical -- will tap that anger and fear, harkening
back to bygone days of order and predictability and
national glory, arguing that we must rebuild walls and
disengage from a chaotic world, or rid ourselves of
the supposed ills brought on by immigrants -- all in
order to regain control of our lives.
We saw some of these currents at work this past
week in the United Kingdom's referendum to leave the
European Union.
Despite some of the initial reactions, I am confident
that the process can be managed in a prudent,
orderly way.
I expect that our friends on both sides of the Channel
will develop a workable plan for how to move forward.
And I'm equally confident that the Transatlantic
values that we all share as liberal, market-based
democracies are deeper and stronger than any single event.
But while the circumstances of Brexit may be unique to
the United Kingdom, the frustrations people felt
are not.
The short-term fallout of Brexit can be sensibly
managed, but the long-term trends of inequality and
dislocation and the resulting social division --
those can't be ignored.
How we respond to the forces of globalization and
technological change will determine the durability of
an international order that ensures security and
prosperity for future generations.
And fortunately, the partnership between the
United States and Canada shows the path we need
to travel.
For our history and our work together speak to a common
set of values to build on --proven values, values that
your Prime Minister spoke of in his introduction --
values of pluralism and tolerance, rule of law,
openness; global engagement and commerce and
cooperation, coupled with equal opportunity and an
investment in our people at home.
As Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said, "A
country, after all, is not something you build as the
pharaohs build the pyramids, and then leave standing
there to defy eternity.
A country is something that is built every day out of
certain basic shared values."
What is true of countries is true of the world.
And that's what I want to talk about today -- how to
strengthen our institutions to advance these commitments
in a rapidly changing world.
Let me start with our shared economic vision.
In all we do, our commitment to opportunity for all of
our people has to be at the centerpiece of our work.
We are so fortunate because both of our countries are so
well-positioned to succeed in the 21st century.
Our two nations know firsthand the awesome power
of free markets and innovation.
Canadians help run some of Silicon Valley's most
innovative companies.
Our students study at each other's
world-class universities.
We invest in research and development, and make
decisions based on science and evidence.
And it works.
It's what's created these extraordinary economies of ours.
But if the financial crisis and recent recession taught
us anything, it's that economies do better when
everyone has a chance to succeed.
For a long time, it was thought that countries had
to choose between economic growth or economic inclusion.
But it turns out that's a false choice.
If a CEO makes more in a day than a typical employee
makes in a year, that kind of inequality is not just
bad for morale in the company, it turns out it's
bad for the economy -- that worker is not a very good
customer for business.
(applause)
If a young man in Ohio can't pay his student loans, or a
young woman in Ontario can't pay her bills, that has
ramifications for our economy.
It tamps down the possibilities of growth.
So we need growth that is broad and that lifts
everybody up -- including tax policies that do right
by working families, and robust safety nets for those
who fall on hard times.
As John Kenneth Galbraith once said, "the common
denominator of progress" is our people.
It's not numbers, it's not abstractions, it's how are
our people doing.
Of course, many who share this progressive, inclusive
vision can be heard now arguing that investments in
our people, protection for our workers, fair tax
policies, these things are not enough.
For them, globalization is inherently rigged towards
the top one percent, and therefore, what's needed is
an end to trade agreements and various international
institutions and arrangements that integrate
national economies.
And I understand that vision.
I know why it's tempting.
It seems as if we draw a line around our borders that
it will give us more control, particularly when
the benefits of trade and economic integration are
sometimes hard to see or easy to take for granted,
and very specific dislocations are obvious
and real.
There's just one problem: Restricting trade or giving
in to protectionism in this 21st century economy will
not work.
(applause)
It will not work.
Even if we wanted to, we can't seal ourselves off
from the rest of the world.
The day after Brexit, people looked around and said, oh!
(laughter)
How is this going to work?
The drag that economic weakness in Europe and China
and other countries is having on our own economies
right now speaks to the degree to which we depend --
our economies depend, our jobs, our businesses depend
-- on selling goods and services around the world.
Very few of our domestic industries can sever what is
now truly a global supply chain.
And so, for those of us who truly believe that our
economies have to work for everybody, the answer is not
to try and pull back from our interconnected world; it
is rather to engage with the rest of the world, to shape
the rules so they're good for our workers and good for
our businesses.
And the experience between our two nations points
the way.
The United States and Canada have the largest bilateral
trade and investment relationship in the world --
and we are stronger for it.
(applause)
It means a company in Quebec can create jobs in
North Carolina.
And a start-up in Toronto can attract investment
from Texas.
Now, the problem is that some economies in many of
the fastest-growing regions of the world -- particularly
the Asia Pacific region -- don't always abide by the
same rules.
They impose unfair tariffs; or they suppress workers'
rights; or they maintain low environmental standards that
make it hard for our businesses to compete fairly.
With the Trans-Pacific Partnership, we have the
ability to not only open up these markets to U.S.
and Canadian products and eliminate thousands of these
unfair tariffs -- which, by the way, we need to do
because they're already selling here under existing
rules, but we're not selling as much as we should over
there -- but it also affords us the opportunity to
increase protections for workers and the environment,
and promote human rights, including strong
prohibitions against human trafficking and child labor.
And that way our workers are competing on a level playing
field, and our businesses are less prone to pursue a
race to the bottom.
And when combined with increased investments in our
own people's education, and skills and training, and
infrastructure and research and development and
connectivity, then we can spur the kind of sustained
growth that makes all of us better off.
(applause)
All of us.
The point is we need to look forward, not look backward.
And more trade and more people-to-people ties can
also help break down old divides.
I thank Canada for its indispensable role in
hosting our negotiations with the Cuban government,
and supporting our efforts to set aside half a century
of failed policies to begin a new chapter with
the Cuban people.
(applause)
I know a lot of Canadians like going to Cuba --
(laughter)
-- maybe because there haven't been Americans
crowding the streets and the beaches.
But that's changing.
(laughter)
And as more Americans engage with the Cuban people, it
will mean more economic opportunity and more hope
for ordinary Cubans.
We also agree, us Americans and Canadians, that wealthy
countries like ours cannot reach our full potential
while others remain mired in poverty.
That, too, is not going to change in this
interconnected world; that if there is poverty and
disease and conflict in other parts of the world, it
spills over, as much as we'd like to pretend that we can
block it out.
So, with our commitment to new Sustainable Development
Goals, we have the chance to end the outrage of
extreme poverty.
(applause)
We can bring more electricity to Africa, so
that students can study at night and businesses can
stay open.
We can banish the scourge of malaria and Zika.
We can realize our goal of the first
AIDS-free generation.
(applause)
We can do that.
It's within our grasp.
And we can help those who are working to replace
corruption with transparent, accountable institutions
that serve their people.
As leaders in global development, the United
States and Canada understand that development is not
charity -- it's an investment in our
future prosperity.
(applause)
Because not only do such investments and policies
help poor countries, they're going to create billions of
customers for U.S.
and Canadian products, and they'll make less likely the
spread of deadly epidemics to our shores, and they'll
stabilize parts of the word that threaten the security
of our people.
In fact, both the United States and Canada believe
our own security -- and not just prosperity -- is
enhanced when we stand up for the rights of all
nations and peoples to live in security and peace.
(applause)
And even as there are times when unilateral action is
necessary to defend our people, we believe that in a
world where wars between great powers are far less
likely but transnational threats like terrorism know
no boundaries, our security is best advanced when
nations work together.
We believe that disputes that do arise between
nations should be, wherever possible, resolved
peacefully, with diplomacy; that international
organizations should be supported; that
multilateralism is not a dirty word.
(applause)
And certainly, we're more secure when we stand united
against terrorist networks and ideologies that have
reached to the very doorstep of this hall.
We honor all those taken from us by violent
extremists, including Canadians John Ridsdel and
Robert Hall.
(applause)
With Canada's additional contributions, including
training Iraqi forces, our coalition is on the
offensive across Iraq, across Syria.
And we will destroy the terrorist group ISIL.
(applause)
We will destroy them.
We'll continue helping local forces and sharing
intelligence, from Afghanistan to the
Philippines, so that we're pushing back comprehensively
against terrorist networks.
And in contrast to the hatred and the nihilism of
terrorists, we'll work with partners around the world,
including, particularly, Muslim communities, to offer
a better vision and a path of development, and
opportunity, and tolerance.
(applause)
Because they are, and must be, our partners in
this effort.
(applause)
Meanwhile, when nations violate international rules
and norms -- such as Russia's aggression against
Ukraine -- the United States and Canada stand united,
along with our allies, in defense of our
collective security.
(applause)
Doing so requires a range of tools, like economic
sanctions, but it also requires that we keep our
forces ready for 21st century missions, and invest
in new capabilities.
As your ally and as your friend, let me say that
we'll be more secure when every NATO member, including
Canada, contributes its full share to our
common security.
(applause)
Because the Canadian armed forces are really good --
(applause)
-- and if I can borrow a phrase, the world needs
more Canada.
NATO needs more Canada.
(applause)
We need you.
We need you.
Just as we join together in our common defense, so must
we work together diplomatically, particularly
to avert war.
Diplomacy results are rarely quick, but it turns out even
the most intractable conflicts can be resolved.
Here in our own hemisphere, just in the last few weeks,
after half a century of war, Colombia is poised to
achieve an historic peace.
(applause)
And the nations of North America will be an important
partner to Colombia going forward, including working
to remove landmines.
Around the world, Canadian and American diplomats
working together can make a difference.
Even in Syria, where the agony and the suffering of
the Syrian people tears at our hearts, our two nations
continue to be leaders in humanitarian aid to the
Syrian people.
And although a true resolution of this conflict
so far has eluded us, we know that the only solution
to this civil war is a political solution, so that
the Syrian people can reclaim their country and
live in peace.
And Canadians and Americans are going to work as hard as
we can to make that happen.
(applause)
I should add that here in the nation of Lester
Pearson, we reaffirm our commitment to keep
strengthening the peacekeeping that saves
lives around the world.
There is one threat, however, that we cannot
solve militarily, nor can we solve alone -- and that is
the threat of climate change.
Now, climate change is no longer an abstraction.
It's not an issue we can put off for the future.
It is happening now.
It is happening here, in our own countries.
The United States and Canada are both Arctic nations, and
last year, when I became the first U.S.
President to visit the Arctic, I could see the
effects myself.
Glaciers -- like Canada's Athabasca Glacier -- are
melting at alarming rates.
Tundra is burning.
Permafrost is thawing.
This is not a conspiracy.
It's happening.
Within a generation, Arctic sea ice may all but
disappear in the summer.
And so skeptics and cynics can insist on denying what's
right in front of our eyes.
But the Alaska Natives that I met, whose ancestral
villages are sliding into the sea -- they don't have
that luxury.
They know climate change is real.
They know it is not a hoax.
And from Bangladesh to the Pacific islands, rising seas
are swallowing land and forcing people from their homes.
Around the world, stronger storms and more intense
droughts will create humanitarian crises and risk
more conflict.
This is not just a moral issue, not just a economic
issue, it is also an urgent matter of our
national security.
And for too long, we've heard that confronting
climate change means destroying our own economies.
But let me just say, carbon emissions in the United
States are back to where they were two decades ago,
even as we've grown our economy dramatically over
the same period.
Alberta, the oil country of Canada, is working hard to
reduce emissions while still promoting growth.
(applause)
So if Canada can do it, and the United States can do it,
the whole world can unleash economic growth and protect
our planet.
We can do this.
(applause)
We can do it.
We can do this.
We can help lead the world to meet this threat.
Already, together in Paris, we achieved the most
ambitious agreement in history to fight climate change.
Now let's bring it into force this year.
(applause)
With our agreement with Mexico that we announced
today, let's generate half the electricity on this
continent from clean energy sources within a decade.
That's achievable.
(applause)
Let's partner in the Arctic to help give its people the
opportunity they deserve, while conserving the only
home they know.
And building on the idea that began in Montreal three
decades ago, let's finally phase down dangerous HFC
greenhouse gases.
This is the only planet we've got.
And this may be the last shot we've got to save it.
And America and Canada are going to need to lead the way.
(applause)
We're going to have to lead the way.
Just as we are joined in our commitment to protecting the
planet, we are also joined in our commitment to the
dignity of every human being.
We believe in the right of all people to participate
in society.
We believe in the right of all people to be treated
equally, to have an equal shot at success.
That is in our DNA, the basic premise of
our democracies.
I think we can all agree that our democracies are far
from perfect.
They can be messy, and they can be slow, and they can
leave all sides of a debate unsatisfied.
Justin is just getting started.
(laughter)
So in case you hadn't figured that out, that's
where this gray hair comes from.
(laughter)
But more than any other system of government,
democracy allows our most precious rights to find
their fullest expression, enabling us, through the
hard, painstaking work of citizenship, to continually
make our countries better.
To solve new challenges.
To right past wrongs.
And, Prime Minister, what a powerful message of
reconciliation it was -- here and around the world --
when your government pledged a new relationship with
Canada's First Nations.
(applause)
Democracy is not easy.
It's hard.
Living up to our ideals can be difficult even in the
best of times.
And it can be harder when the future seems uncertain,
or when, in response to legitimate fears and
frustrations, there are those who offer a politics
of "us" versus "them," a politics that scapegoats
others -- the immigrant, the refugee, someone who seems
different than us.
We have to call this mentality what it is -- a
threat to the values that we profess, the values we seek
to defend.
It's because we respect all people that the world looks
to us as an example.
The colors of the rainbow flag have flown on
Parliament Hill.
They have lit up the White House.
That is a testament to our progress, but also the work
that remains to ensure true equality for our fellow
citizens who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
(applause)
Our Muslim friends and neighbors who run
businesses, and serve in our governments and in our armed
forces, and are friends with our children, play on our
sports teams -- we've got to stand up against the slander
and the hate leveled against those who look or
worship differently.
That's our obligation.
That's who we are.
That's what makes America special.
That's what makes Canada special.
(applause)
Here.
Here in Canada.
(applause)
Here in Canada, a woman has already risen to the highest
office in the land.
In America, for the first time, a woman is the
presumptive nominee of a major party and
perhaps President.
(applause)
I have a bias on these issues --
(laughter)
-- but our work won't be finished until all women in
our country are truly equal -- paid equally, treated
equally, given the same opportunities as men, when
our girls have the same opportunities as our boys.
(applause)
That's who we need to be.
(applause)
And let me say this -- because I don't feel
particularly politically correct on this issue -- I
don't believe that these are American values or Canadian
values or Western values.
I believe, and Justin believes, and I hope all of
you believe, these are universal values.
And we must be bold in their defense, at home and around
the world.
(applause)
And not shy away from speaking up on behalf of
these values of pluralism and tolerance and equality.
(applause)
I fear sometimes that we are timid in defense of
these values.
That's why I will continue to stand up for those
inalienable rights, here in our own hemisphere -- in
places like Cuba and Venezuela -- but also in
more distant lands.
For the rights of citizens in civil society to speak
their mind and work for change.
For the right of journalists to report the truth.
For the right of people of all faiths to practice their
religion freely.
Those things are hard, but they're right.
They're not always convenient, but they're true.
In the end, it is this respect for the dignity of
all people, especially the most vulnerable among us,
that perhaps more than anything else binds our two
countries together.
Being Canadian, being American is not about what
we look like or where our families came from.
It is about our commitment to a common creed.
And that's why, together, we must not waver in embracing
our values, our best selves.
And that includes our history as a nation of
immigrants, and we must continue to welcome people
from around the world.
(applause)
The vibrancy of our economies are enhanced by
the addition of new, striving immigrants.
But this is not just a matter of economics.
When refugees escape barrel bombs and torture, and
migrants cross deserts and seas seeking a better life,
we cannot simply look the other way.
We certainly can't label as possible terrorists
vulnerable people who are fleeing terrorists.
(applause)
We can insist that the process is orderly.
We can insist that our security is preserved.
Borders mean something.
But in moments like this, we are called upon to see
ourselves in others, because we were all once strangers.
If you weren't a stranger, your grandparents
were strangers.
Your great-grandparents were strangers.
They didn't all have their papers ready.
They fumbled with language faced discrimination, had
cultural norms that didn't fit.
At some point, somewhere, your family was an outsider.
So the mothers, the fathers, the children we see today --
they're us.
We can't forsake them.
So, as Americans and Canadians, we will continue
to welcome refugees, and we can ensure that we're doing
so in a way that maintains our security.
We can and we will do both.
(applause)
We can and we will do both.
We're increasing our support to Central America, so that
fewer families and children attempt the dangerous
journey north.
This fall at the United Nations, we'll host a global
summit on refugees, because in the face of this crisis,
more nations need to step up and meet our basic
obligations to our fellow human beings.
And it will be difficult, and budgets are tight, and
there are legitimate issues and not everybody is going
to be helped.
But we can try.
People of goodwill and compassion show us the way.
Greek islanders pulling families to shore.
And Germans handing out sweets to migrants at
railway stations.
A synagogue in Virginia inviting Syrian refugees
to dinner.
And here, in Canada, the world has been inspired as
Canadians across this country have opened up their
hearts and their homes.
And we've watched citizens knitting tuques to keep
refugees warm in the winter.
(laughter)
And we've seen your Prime Minister welcome new
arrivals at the airport, and extend the hand of
friendship and say, "You're safe at home now."
And we see the refugees who feel that they have a
special duty to give back, and seize the opportunities
of a new life.
Like the girl who fled Afghanistan by donkey and
camel and jet plane, and who remembers being greeted in
this country by helping hands and the sound of
robins singing.
And today, she serves in this chamber, and in the
cabinet, because Canada is her home.
(applause)
A country "is not something you build as the pharaohs
built the pyramids...a country is something that is
built every day out of certain basic shared values."
How true that is.
How blessed we are to have had people before us, day by
day, brick by brick, build these extraordinary
countries of ours.
How fortunate, how privileged we are to have
the opportunity to now, ourselves, build this
world anew.
What a blessing.
And as we go forward together, on that freedom
road, let's stay true to the values that make us who we
are -- Canadians and Americans, allies and
friends, now and forever.
Thank you very much.
Merci beaucoup.
(applause)
Thank you.