Governor General's Leadership Conference 'Amazing'
Jul 15, 2008
It has been more than three weeks since I returned from the Governor General’s Leadership Conference. My mind is still spinning. My experience was nothing short of amazing. I will try to encapsulate my thoughts in a brief write up that I hope will do it justice.
The Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference brings together just over 200 of Canada’s future leaders from business, labour, government, NGOs, education and the cultural sector for a unique two-week experience aimed at broadening their perspectives on work, leadership, their communities, and their country.
I was fortunate enough to be a part of the New Brunswick Study Tour. My group and I spent nine glorious days touring our nation’s only officially bilingual province. We met with labour leaders, the premier, the lieutenant governor, city councilors, community volunteers, local entrepreneurs, hospital administrators, industrial business leaders, CEOs (I love Moosehead and Ganong Chocolates), educators, artists, thespians and even a couple locals. It was a whirlwind tour that has left me with a lifetime of thoughts and fantastic friends.
My study group and I were exposed to some of the major crisises New Brunswick is facing as a province and what initiatives are being taken to solve them. We discussed the substantial loss of major industry, such as the pulp and paper mills, forestry, fishing and how this is impacting the community and labour movement. There is the fact that many of New Brunswick’s young people are leaving the province and heading west. The fact that the largest employer in the province is government via military, or at federal, provincial and municipal levels. There are on-going struggles with the French community and the question of bilingualism. The Aboriginal communities in New Brunswick are facing their own struggles.
It was explained to us by the lieutenant governor, Herménégilde Chiasson, that New Brunswick is a microcosm of Canada. New Brunswick shares the struggles that Canada as a whole suffers. So I pictured a “mini Canada” in New Brunswick. If I accept this concept, this gave me incredible insight into our country. We learned from Dr. John Helliwell and his studies that although the eastern provinces are some of the poorest, they also tend to be the happiest. Which means that despite the most traumatic circumstances life can throw at you - be it job loss, debt, war, language barriers, right disputes - people can survive and be happy. I’m proud of that. Maybe if we became a little more like “New Brunswickians” we would all be a lot happier. I also think that if we can improve some of the problems in New Brunswick we can also apply those same lessons to Canada as a whole. I’m excited for New Brunswick’s future and I’m excited for Canada’s future.
Thank you MGEU for your sponsorship.
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