Remarks by the Honourable Steven L. Point, OBC
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
Burnaby School District Professional Development Day
Friday, February 25, 2011
Burnaby, British Columbia
It's not our way; it's not our custom to be asking for things. Do not be critical of others and do not question what you are learning. Speak only if you are spoken to. These are the world view lessons that I went to school with. And for that, we've been called slow learners. I remember stepping into the counsellor's room in grade 10. You know the interview that the school counsellor gives you to decide where you want to go in life, what you want to be when you grow up. I said to him, "I'd like to do something exciting, maybe become a lawyer." He said, "You know, there's a lot of good jobs in construction. There's nothing wrong with being a plumber." He didn't want me to set my sights too high. As the Lieutenant Governor in BC today, I'm not looking for that counsellor.
I go to schools and I impress upon young people to find their path, to find their direction and to complete their education, but to never lose sight of who they are as Aboriginal people. To be proud of it; to never be ashamed of the colour of your skin as I was, but to persevere and to finish that which you start because that is our teaching. And to someday go back to your community to uplift our people and to bring them out of poverty.
I must say that this must be done with a kindness and a willingness to understand, on all parties, Canada is no longer a uni-cultural society. It is and has become and will be in the future multi-faceted, multi-cultural. That is what's happening. We must open our minds to the possibility that we can live together free of violence and ignorance of one another's culture. And embrace that diversity. Make it part of our curriculum. Make acceptance and understanding a fundamental brick upon which we build our education. The colours out there in the audience are changing and we're seeing more colours. When Ella told me that God likes colours, so do I.
Thank you very much.
- Honorary Aides-de-Camp:
- - Superintendent Daryl Wiebe
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