And settlers have made this land home since 1604. Modesty prevents me from saying they were my ancestors. We have built a great nation, in what is really a very short time. And we have built a nation of people who really care for each other. In the towns and villages I have the opportunity to visit, communities are working together.
Volunteers visit hospitals, help sick neighbours, organize recreational activities.
Across the country, generous people unobtrusively serve others. Certain examples become more widely known. We recognize some of them through the Order of Canada people like Morag O'Brien, of Cape Broyle, Newfoundland, who spent her life ministering to the health needs of the people in remote communities on the Southern Shore. Some care so much about others that they are willing to risk their own lives. Those who give their time, and their helping hands, number in millions.