Diversity is Canada's greatest strength: Trudeau

Davos, Jan 20: 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. "Some maintain that people of different cultures and languages cannot live together and that diversity is dangerous. I don't believe in this," he said.

PTI