Thanks to Ms. Asli Kucukbumin of Abbotsford Community Services for inviting me to participate in tonight’s events. I would also like to acknowledge the many distinguished guests who are here this evening.

It is indeed my pleasure to be asked to say a few words on the topic of cultural diversity and community building. Tonight will be the sixth annual Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards Ceremony. This event recognizes best practices amongst Fraser Valley businesses and service providers in responding to and being inclusive of diversity in the region.

I applaud all those who have made this evening possible and would like to congratulate the ones receiving awards. I was at a conference some years ago and someone asked me this question, “What does community mean to you?” At the time I really did not have an answer. I thought of how people live in close proximity to one another and become friends who worked together to improve their collective way of life.

Later on, I came to understand that human beings are not just a collection of atoms, a biological mystery, but that we are connected one with another and are free to either enhance that connection or to ignore it. Community means a group of people who have come to appreciate their common bond with one another and have decided to enhance that bond through sharing of resources.

Our problem as a society is that we often move about. We move away from family and friends to go to school, or to take up a new job or just to get a new start in life. There are other barriers to this sense of community. They include all the reasons - our last names, the school we went to, our racial and religious groups, our economic standing or social standing, our education, and so on, and so on. Whereas our society is nominally equal or egalitarian, it is fraught with these compartments that tend to keep us apart rather than bring us together.

I think the laws concerning human rights violations are there to protect discrimination or racial intolerance by penalizing the offenders. We cannot, however, change their attitudes. Positive reinforcement rewards desirable behaviour while ignoring undesirable behaviour. I think that by giving awards to recognize positive acts of inclusively is encouragement to others to do likewise. So I wish once again to thank all those responsible for these awards. Your efforts will yield great results in the form of a more tolerant, peaceful society. This will be a benefit to us all. Finally, congratulations once again to the recipients. Kindness is the glue that holds us together when the winds threaten to destroy all that we have built. Your actions will prove to be examples for us all to adopt and to follow in the years to come.

LOCATION:1401 Rockland Avenue
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada V8S 1V9

PHONE:(250) 387-2080

FAX:(250) 387-2078

EMAIL:ghinfo@gov.bc.ca

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