Diversity is Canada's greatest strength: Trudeau

With a number of Indian-origin ministers in his cabinet as well as a big Indian diaspora population in his country, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today said diversity is Canda's greatest source of strength and is propelling the country into a bright future.
In a special address at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2016 on the transformations driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, he recounted the accomplishments of the first three industrial revolutions but warned that "new technology is always dazzling, but it needs to serve the cause of human progress".
He pointed out that technology will not determine the future, but "our choices and leadership" will.

"I believe in positive and ambitious leadership," he said, adding that the "Fourth Industrial Revolution will not be successful unless it creates opportunities for the billions who are unable to be here today".
"In Canada, we get this. We need societies that recognise diversity as a source of strength and not of weakness," Trudeau said and called upon on governments to support the private sector.
He also cited Silicon Valley as a model of creativity.

"When diverse ways of seeing and thinking come together, they spark creativity. Diversity is something leaders can do much about," the Canadian Prime Minister said.

When the first Syrian refugee families arrived in Toronto, Trudeau said he welcomed them as new Canadians and as the future of the Canadian economy.
"Diversity is the engine of investment; it generates creativity and enriches the world. We know this in Canada," he added.
The Prime Minister noted that people respond to a positive and inclusive vision of society. "The result is creativity that enriches Canada and the world. It makes me profoundly optimistic and confident," he said.
"We have a diverse and outstandingly creative population, great education and infrastructure, social and financial stability and a government willing to invest in the future. We have remarkable confidence. We believe in progress and we are willing to work hard to get there," he said.

Further, an upbeat Trudeau noted that some people say it is impossible to change inequality. "Others insist that climate change is a lost cause; they maintain that catastrophe is unavoidable unless we give up economic growth," he added.
During his election campaign, Trudeau said he and his
team made a strategic decision to present a positive vision.
"We decided that, by presenting a positive vision, not only would we be able to get elected, we would have a strong and inclusive mandate to provide a government for Canadians. We wanted to bring forward what Canadians want to be, rather than what we are afraid of," the Prime Minister said.

He also noted that it is easy to get elected by playing up to divisions and negativity.
"Once you get elected through dividing people, it become hard to govern... The primary responsibility of any government is to keep its citizens safe, but also to keep them free and true to our values. Getting this balance right in a responsible way is what people are looking for," he said.
According to him, some politicians choose the path of cuts and austerity, but he believes in the opposite.
"We need to invest in our people, our infrastructure and education so our citizens can be full participators in the global economy," Trudeau said.

It is important to have a government that understands that investing in new opportunities is about investing in the future, he added.