[00:00:00] [A large crowd of people sit outdoors in folding chairs, forming an audience. The audience is at the right-side of the screen. Some seat beneath a large white tent. Large steps are visible behind the audience. Flags from countries around the world decorate the large concrete building. Volunteers and guests still move about. It is a mix of sun and cloud, and windy. There is no audio.] [00:00:07] [Bagpipes can be clearly heard. A bagpiper in green and black kilt, jacket, and hat can be seen approaching from the left-hand of the screen. He leads the Graduand Procession down the stairs. The audience stands. The banner on the screen reads “Maury McCrillis. Piper.” Graduates receiving their Bachelor of Environmental Science/Studies degrees wear dark green gowns with waist-length sleeves and light green and dark green hoods. Graduates receiving their Bachelor of Arts degrees wear dark green gowns with waist-length sleeves and white and dark green hoods. Graduates receiving their Bachelor of Science degrees wear dark green downs with waist-length sleeves and gold and dark green hoods. The view shifts several times to show the audience and Graduand Procession.] [00:01:48] [The view shows the graduates entering a stage elevated by five steps at the front of the audience. It is brick. The stage is set with three sets of seats in a U formation, with all facing the centre-right of the stage. They sit first in the seats on the left-hand side of the stage, then the centre-back of the stage. There is a large lectern at the centre-right of the stage and facing the audience. It reads “Trent University.” The view shifts several times to show the audience and Graduand Procession. In the background, Trent’s Bata Library can be seen. It is large and three storeys of concrete with large glass windows and wooden awnings are visible.] [00:03:27] [The piper is shown standing and playing while graduates continue to take their seats. The banner on the screen reads “Maury McCrillis. Piper.” The view shifts between the audience and Graduand Procession.] [00:04:32] [The piper finishes playing. The view changes to show a group of people standing at the top of the back stairs near the flags. They are in academic and traditional Indigenous regalia of many forms. This is the Academic Procession. Nicholas Rimsky-Korsakov’s Procession of Nobles begins to play over the sound system. It is a grand, full-orchestral melody without words. The man at the front of the procession carries Trent’s Condolence Cane, the cane that is a symbolic representation of the governance power of the Haudenosaunee peoples and represents the academic governing power of the University.] [00:06:07] [The Academic Procession is shown taking their seats. They sit at the right-hand side of the stage.] [00:07:28] [A man from the Academic Procession approaches the lectern. He is in a dark green gown with elaborate gold and dark green embroidery and a round green velvet beefeater-style hat with gold tassel.] Don Tapscott: Good morning everyone. Please be seated. [00:07:32] [The view changes to focus on the large lectern at the centre-right of the stage. A sign language interpreter stands to the right of the lectern. The banner on the screen reads “Don Tapscott. Chancellor.”] I’m Don Tapscott and I’m the Chancellor of Trent University and a proud graduate of this great institution. This is a special day for everyone and I’m delighted to share it all with you. Heartfelt congratulations to all of you graduates on reaching this important milestone. I now declare convocation open. [Applause and cheers in the audience. Don Tapscott sits.] [00:08:37] [A man stands at the lectern. He is in a dark green gown with elaborate silver and dark green embroidery and a round green velvet beefeater-style hat with silver tassel. The banner on the screen reads “Leo Groarke. President & Vice-Chancellor.”] Leo Groarke: Good morning. My name is Leo Groarke. I have the privilege of being the eighth President of Trent University and it’s my honour and pleasure to welcome you on behalf of the university. In keeping with Trent tradition, I want to begin by respectfully acknowledging that we are on the traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabe. We offer our gratitude to our First Peoples for their care of and teachings about our land and our relations. May we always honour those teachings. I’m very pleased to welcome graduates, parents and families, spouses, partners, and friends to today’s ceremony. I know that some of you come from close by, some from across Canada and some of you from around the world. I thought I would begin by saying something about the convocation ceremony. In one way, of course this is very formal. This is the moment at which students are awarded their degrees for successfully completing what that requires. At the same time, I want to sort of give you permission and tell you that this is intended to be a celebration. We want you to enjoy yourself. This is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of our students and partly formal but it’s also a party. In keeping with that, I want our audience to keep in mind that it’s okay to make noise, to shout, okay? To embarrass your children. Scattered laughter and hooting in the audience. There we go, it’s started. Or your spouses. [Leo Groarke laughs.] Remember this is a time to celebrate. As you do celebrate, we want you to be comfortable. It’s an interesting day today, but I did want to tell you that there are shade hats available. There are shaded areas. They won’t work as well in the rain if we get some rain, but they are available. Just ask our volunteers if you would like one. I did want to tell you that I asked the organization committee if they could provide you all with hats like I and the Chancellor are wearing but they wouldn’t go for it. Sorry. To our visitors, I will say that I hope you will enjoy Trent’s deep sense of community. I also hope that our graduands will show you some of our beautiful campus here in Peterborough. I hope you will take the time to walk across the Faryon Bridge and visit some of the places they have lived and studied. If you are adventurous, I invite you to explore the wildlife trails on the east side of the river. If you are very adventurous, I invite you to sign out a canoe from the Athletics Centre and go down the river. As President, I’ve been told you tell you that if you decide on that option, please sign a liability waiver. [Scattered laughter in the audience.] As a university, I do believe that we have more canoes per student than any university in the world. I want to end my own remarks by saying to our graduands that you are joining a prestigious Trent family. It includes famous authors, Nobel Prize winners, Rhone’s scholars, Governor General and Academy Award winners. This family includes scientists, artists, religious and political leaders, and perhaps even more importantly, a cadre of teachers, researchers, medical practitioners, mothers, fathers, and good citizens. I believe that Trent has prepared you well for the exciting and challenging adventures that lie ahead. This is your moment, this is your day, enjoy it as an important time to imagine your future and create a consequence and a purpose that is uniquely your own. Please, a round of applause for our graduates please. [Applause in the audience and on stage.] [00:12:58] It’s now my great pleasure to introduce an individual whose remarkable contributions will be recognized with an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Dedicated to creating healthy communities and improving the lives of urban Indigenous people in Ontario and across Canada, Sylvia Maracle Skonaganhlh:ra is Mohawk from the Tyendinaga Mohawk territory and member of the Wolf Clan. Ms. Maracle is the Executive Director of the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, the largest urban Indigenous service network in the province, providing culturally sensitive services. She’s been involved in the Friendship Centre movement for several decades. She’s the Indigenous Chair and the Executive Director of the Committee to End Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, a member of the Indigenous Justice Group, and has served on the Board of Directors for the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health. Ms. Maracle was also a founding member of the Native Studies PhD Council at Trent University. Working to address violence against Indigenous Women and in support of urban youth development, Ms. Maracle has worked tirelessly to guide policy and programming to improve the socio-economic status of Indigenous people. She continues to lecture across Canada and around the world on women’s issues, urban development, and cultural revitalization of Indigenous people. For her work, Ms. Maracle has been commended by various organizations, including the Metis Nation of Ontario and the Ontario Native Women’s Association. She was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2017. She’s also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in Public Service. Mister Chancellor, I now ask you to confer on Ms. Maracle her Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. [Applause in the audience. The Registrar, a woman in dark green and white academic robes and a round green beefeater-style hat, carries a large framed certificate to the centre of the stage. A woman in a navy and silver gown steps to the centre of the stage along with the Chancellor. This is Ms. Sylvia Maracle. The Registrar hands the framed certificate to the Chancellor. She then places an academic hood of navy and silver over her head and onto her shoulders. She pins it in place. The Chancellor shakes Doctor Maracle’s hand and the two pose with the framed certificate at the centre of the stage. There are cheers and applause from the audience.] Congratulations Doctor Maracle. I now have the privilege of inviting you to address convocation. [Leo Groarke sits.] [00:16:12] [Doctor Sylvia Maracle stands at the large lectern. The banner on the screen reads “Sylvia Maracle. Honorary Degree.”] Sylvia Maracle: You’ve heard I’m Mohawk, we come from matriarchy and we’re not known for short speeches. [Scattered laughter in the audience.] I want to first acknowledge the land and the traditional territories that we’re on, for without the land doing her work and following her instructions, we would have no life and we would not be here. I want to acknowledge friends over the years at Indigenous Studies at Trent who have advanced this honor to me. I asked as you were walking up, what was the intent of your green ribbons and I was told that you have all made a commitment to environmental sustainability and for that, you should be honoured. I am supposed to give you remarks that encourage you to move forward and I have been pondering that for a period of time and I decided that my short message today would be to remind you that you have heard words and you have read words while you have been here and you have managed to get through the process so that you will graduate today, but now begins the work for you of finding and sorting out the truth. And the truth in all things will be to look at us as human beings and to understand that we live at the goodwill of the natural world. That we can create anything that we want, but if our Mother – the water, the plants, the trees, the animals, the birds, the winds, the thunder beings – don’t go about their duties, if the moon and the sun don’t, we won’t have a life. And so, as you go and begin to now do your work and find the truth, stop and think, and more importantly give thanks that you have a life because when we look around us, she is going about her duties and responsibilities. And as you find your duties and your responsibilities, under the elements that we have to address are physical, are mental, are emotional, and are spiritual. And that despite what we create, there’s more to be done. Where I work, they know I have a saying: the status quo is not acceptable. That we all need to work harder to make sure the children are cared for, not that they’re in care. That young people have mentors have mentors and leaders who inspire them, and that they stay in school and they however learn traditional ways and natural knowledge as well. That women and girls and young boys are not violated. That men and women without titles have houses, have food, have clean water. That our seniors and elders and traditional people have those of us who can journey to hear the stories of where we have come from. Your own life story, and the history of how you’ve arrived at this moment is one of the most important teachers you will have, and while it’s important that we create an institutional framework to move forward, it is equally important that now you ask yourselves what do I really know? What will I do to change the status quo? What will I do to change the world so that the Great Peace will be with all of us? Thank you for listening. Nia: wen. [Cheers and applause from the audience and stage. Sylvia Maracle sits.] [00:20:32] [Leo Groarke stands at large lectern.] Miigwetch. Thank you for those profound comments, Doctor Maracle. I’m now pleased to ask Shaun Watmough, the Director of the Trent School of the Environment to present candidates for all degrees and recognize students who have achieved remarkable success in their studies. [The view shows Chancellor Don Tapscott move to the center-front of the stage. Graduates begin to move out of their seats to line up outside of the camera’s view.] Students, Professor Watmough will read their names and they’ll walk across the stage and be congratulated by the Chancellor, then myself, and then our Registrar, Tracy Al-Idrissi. [00:30:39] [The view changes to show a man in black academic robes with bright red accents and a round, beefeater-style hat standing at a small lectern at the far-left side of the stage. This is Shaun Watmough.] Shaun Watmough: Mister Chancellor, I am pleased to present for the degree of Bachelor of Environmental Science/Studies, candidates whose names will be read, whom the Senate has duly declared worthy of the honour, that they may receive the degree at your hands. [As names are read, the named graduate walks across the stage from left to right, first shaking hands with Chancellor Don Tapscott at the centre of the stage, then the President & Vice-Chancellor Leo Groarke at the centre-right of the stage, then Registrar Tracy Al-Idrissi at the far right of the stage.] [00:21:43] [Applause can be heard after each name is read.] Joelle Elizabeth Burnie Jack Lewes Dulmage Rachel Ann French Lindsay Kristen Jones Charli Denise Lawson-Lee Nicole Frances Mastrangelo Meagan Michelle Sorley Rachel Ann Stephens Please join me in congratulating the recipients of Bachelor of Environmental Science/Studies Degrees [Cheering and applause in audience and on stage. Chancellor turns towards graduates and removes his hat to bow toward them.] [00:23:33] Mister Chancellor, I am pleased to present for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the Honours Program candidates whose names will be read, whom the Senate has duly declared worthy of the honour, that they may receive the degree at your hands. [Applause can be heard after each name is read.] Emma Elizabeth Alpe Jillian Mary Anderson-Dann Jukipa Anrango Kotierk Colleen Isabelle Armstrong David Andrew Beaucage Johnson Theresa Benedict April Elizabeth Blumberg Kingsley Boateng Elisabeth April Burden Paige Burns Felipe Cazar Emma Chiu Rebecca Michelle Cumming Joyce Davis Jonathan Duffy Katherine Nicole Evans Kiara Olivia Fabbro Irene Filice Brooke Finlay Shaelyn Michelle Hoffman-Menard Sharday James Kyla Daisy Judge Lisa Lee Robin Linn Brianna Katherine Cider McCann Robyn Victoria McCormick Erin Elizabeth McGregor Patricia M. Moran Annette Pedlar Samantha Don Peever Gianni Salluzzo Lombardo Tristyn Eve Sandy Blair Rene Shaule Monique Sheehan Shannon Colleen Shillinglaw Jacob Dean Slater Jordan Laura Thackeray Griffin Alexis Tinevez Elizabeth Tompkins Kathleen Walker Geneva Grace Walker Please join me in congratulating the recipients of Bachelor of Arts degrees in the Honours Program. [Cheering and applause in audience and on stage. Chancellor turns towards graduates and removes his hat to bow toward them.] [00:32:44] Mister Chancellor, I am pleased to present for the degree of Bachelor of Science in the Honours Program candidates whose names will be read, whom the Senate has duly declared worthy of the honour, that they may receive the degree at your hands. [Applause can be heard after each name is read.] Holly Eva Aman Brianna Danielle Barnhart Jackson Carl Bellamy Sarah Bencic Rachel Brown Maria Casamatta Jami Erin Cernele Han Chen Devin John Clouthier Brendan Cregg Cecelia Croucher** Liam Raymond Kenneth Cunningham Shantanu Dutt Krista Maria Eide** Ryan Patrice Erskine** Joshua Farquhar Meagan Elizabeth Forget Mary Ellen Carter Fraser Andrea Kathleen Fried Cameron Geller Lillian Helen Hamlin Emily Hayes Andrew James Hodgson Gabrielle Janik Michelle Yvonne Jones Jessica Felicia Kehoe Edward Kellaway Jenna Lorraine Kentel Laura Suzanne Kersey Eden Kovacs Courtney Grace Leermakers Freddy Stephen Liu Ibrahim Lyons Leah Christine Martin Kelly Macgillivray Melanie Irene MacGregor Alexa Catherine MacPherson Kimberly Rose Magee Samuel David Mantin Katelin Arlene McPartlin Lauren Sandra Moran** Jack Peter Moreau Sarah Nelson Connor Parkin Alexander Parniak Matthew Colin Patterson Mitchell Edward Pickard Amber J Pitawanakwat Sara Polianskas Eric Andreas Post Louis-Ross Prue Marcus James Rice Gregory Kent Robillard Tyler Joseph Scuralli Hannah Shinton Peter Harold Silk Cassandra Smit Rebecca Spence Carly Spitzer Amanda Rebecca Stubbs Viyanka Suthaskaran Daniel Taddeo Breanna Kathleen Webber Ryan Bruce Wheatley Kevin White Rowan John Woodall Ethan Yolleck Benjamin Zauner Leonard Zettler Katarina Amelia Zlatanovic Please join me in congratulating the recipients of Bachelor of Science degrees in the Honours Program. [Cheering and applause in audience and on stage. Chancellor turns towards graduates and removes his hat to bow toward them.] [00:48:09] Mister Chancellor, I am pleased to present for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the General Program candidates whose names will be read, whom the Senate has duly declared worthy of the honour, that they may receive the degree at your hands. [Applause can be heard after each name is read.] Virginia Lea Goodrich The next student is receiving the Bagnani Medal. The medal was named in honour of Gilbert Bagnani, a founding faculty member of Trent. It is awarded to the student who achieves high academic standing in the General Program. Mister Chancellor, I call upon you to present the Bagnani Medal to Hilary Margaret Robins Hodgins. Milton James** Kayoko Nagamatsu J. Victor Parker Sinthujan Ranganathan Travis Rogers Please join me in congratulating the recipients of Bachelor of Arts degrees in the General Program. [Cheering and applause in audience and on stage. Chancellor turns towards graduates and removes his hat to bow toward them.] [00:51:05] Mister Chancellor, I am pleased to present for the diploma Foundations of Indigenous Learning candidates whose names will be read, whom Senate has declared worthy of the honour, that they may receive the diploma at your hands. [Applause can be heard after each name is read.] Seanna Dale Eric Ian O’Brien Please join me in congratulating the recipients of the Foundations of Indigenous Learning diploma. [Cheering and applause in audience and on stage. Chancellor turns towards graduates and removes his hat to bow toward them.] Mister Chancellor, I ask you to confer degrees and diplomas in absentia on candidates whose names are before you and who are unable to be with us today. [Chancellor holds the brim of his hat and nods.] [00:52:25] Mister Chancellor, Professor Neil Emery, Vice President of Research and Innovation, will now introduce individuals receiving special awards and honours. [The view shifts to the large lectern. A man in bright blue and red academic gown with a square black hat moves to stand at the lectern. This is Neil Emery. A man in black academic gown with red and white trim moves to stand beside the lectern. This is Stephen Bocking. The banner on the screen reads “Neil Emery. VP Research and Innovation.”] Neil Emery: The Trent University Distinguished Research Award is given annually to a member of Trent’s faculty in recognition of outstanding achievement in research and scholarship. This year it has been awarded to Doctor Stephen Bocking, founding director of the Trent School of the Environment. Professor Bocking was lauded by nominators as an outstanding researcher, role model and mentor. He has a long track record of top-notch research on some of the timeliest subjects. His pioneering and internationally-recognized research focuses on the role and implications of science in society. His chief research areas include environmental history and the global history science-based nature conservation. Professor Bocking aims to understand how scientists operate in political settings, how expert knowledge is used (and sometimes not used) in politics, and how it can be used more effectively. His nominators noted that he taught them that good research is rigorous, engaged and oriented towards making change. They also noted that he treats even the most junior scholars as equals, and thrives on scholarly conversation across all ranks, cultures and languages. Mister Chancellor, I am pleased to present for the Distinguished Research Award, Doctor Stephen Bocking. [The Registrar moves to the centre of the stage carrying a large framed certificate. She is joined by the Chancellor and Stephen Bocking. The Registrar hands the certificate to the Chancellor. She then takes a small light blue sash with dark green edging and places it on the shoulder of Stephen Bocking. This is the Distinguished Research Award laripipe. She steps away and the Chancellor and Doctor Bocking shake hands at centre stage. They pose for a photo. The banner on screen reads “Stephen Bocking. Distinguished Research Award.”] At this point, I would ask that all past winners of the Distinguished Research Award to stand and be acknowledged. [The view shifts to the seating at the right of the stage and shows the past winners standing and wearing the same light blue and dark green laripipe.] [00:54:57] Mister Chancellor, ‘emeritus’ is an honorary title given to professors upon their retirement from the University. Mister Chancellor, I ask you to confer the title of Professor Emeritus upon: Professor Peter Dillon of the Chemistry Department and the Trent School of the Environment. [A man in a black academic gown with red and white academic hood joins the Chancellor at centre stage. This is Peter Dillon. The Registrar hands a large framed certificate to the Chancellor and steps away. He is presented with the certificate and the Chancellor and Professor Dillon shake hands and pose for a photo at centre stage. The banner on the screen reads “Peter Dillon. Professor Emeritus.”] [00:55:35] Mister Chancellor, Professor David Newhouse will now introduce the Honour Song. [Neil Emery leaves the large lectern.] [00:55:47] [A man in a black gown with a gold and purple trimmed hood and black mortarboard hat stands at the lectern. The banner on the screen reads “David Newhouse. Director, Chenie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies.”] David Newhouse: Before all words can be spoken, we bring greetings to all of Creation and we give thanks for another day of life. Mister Chancellor, Mister President, honoured guests, graduates. In the custom of the first peoples of this land, we offer the sound of the drum and our voices to honor our mother, the Earth. We send our profound and deepest thanks to all of Creation and we greet the world with humility and embrace the richness, diversity, and wonder of life. In the Anishinaabe teachings, the sound of the drum represents the original sound of Creation. This heartbeat of Creation reverberates still and infuses our being with our life. We sound the drum to connect us with all of Creation, to honour and celebrate life, and to live with humility among all living beings. We offer these words of praise to those who are graduating this day. We offer these words of thanksgiving to those who have made these accomplishments possible. We offer these words of respect to those who have come before us and who brought grace dignity to our lives. We offer these words to remind of the Seven Grandfather Teachings to live with respect, kindness, honesty, sharing, courage, and strength. We offer these words for the wise leadership and counsel of Sylvia Maracle. And we offer this song to accompany you on your travels. May you travel well and may your lives be filled with grace and dignity, and may you use your good minds for the benefit of all humanity. Mister Chancellor, Mister President, honoured guests, graduates, I have the pleasure of presenting Unity. And ladies and gentlemen, may I ask you to stand if you’re able for the Honour Song and the song is The Women’s Warrior Song. [Three women move to the front-centre of the stage. They carry traditional Anishinaabe hand-drums decorated with ribbons and played with single-head mallets. They face the audience. The audience, graduates, and Academic Procession stand. Many remove their hats. The banner on the screen reads “Unity. Honour Song.” The Honour Song is Anishinaabe vocals with harmonic melodies over rhythmic drumming. The women sway in time with the music. Near the end of the song, the women stop drumming to raise eagle feathers into the air while singing. The song ends with whoops and applause.] David Newhouse: Thank you, Unity. You may be seated. Mister Chancellor, I would like to invite Miss Jess Grover, President of the Trent University Alumni Association to welcome the graduating class. [David Newhouse leaves the large lectern.] [00:59:56] [A woman in Trent’s dark green gown with a white and dark green hood approaches the large lectern. The banner on the screen reads “Jess Grover. President, Alumni Association.”] Jess Grover: Mister Chancellor, Mister President, graduates, honoured guests. Good morning! First, I must say to you, our newest alumni, congratulations! And welcome to our family. Convocation is my favourite time of year – Symons campus is full of joy and beauty. And, as you can see behind us, campus is always changing. I hope the change you’ve seen on campus over your time here echoes the change you’ve seen in yourselves. As you’ve learned and grown, Trent has hopefully left a mark on you as it did me. I know without a doubt that you’ve left your mark on Trent. Today I ask you to embrace the idea of change, even when in this moment, everything beyond today may seem uncertain. Because, through your presence today, you have proven that you can take challenging moments and turn them into opportunities for success. In your hardest moments on this campus, you transformed yourself. Remember where you’ve been. Look ahead to where you are going. Blend past and present, traditions and innovations. Without one, the other is meaningless. And I know that each step you took to cross the podium today is representative of so many more over the past year, or three, or four, or more. Keep changing yourself, keep changing our world. The world needs each of you! But remember you are not alone—you are a part of a community, a field, a family, the natural environment, and now, an alumni association. As you find your way in our changing world, we want you to keep in touch and to celebrate you! Take your time to update your contact info today – even during this speech if you snuck your phone onto the stage – and take advantage of our benefits, awards, and events. Stay involved in Trent and get involved with Alumni – we’re made better by your presence. Today, not only everyone here celebrates you, the entire alumni family celebrates you. On behalf of the Trent University Alumni Association, it is my honour and privilege to say welcome, and congratulations! [Cheers and applause on stage and in the audience. Jess Grover sits.] [01:02:46] [Leo Groarke stands at the large lectern.] Leo Groarke: Thank you Jess. As we near the conclusion of the ceremony, I like to say thanks to a few people, just pick a few people out who are essential to convocation. I thought today I would like to recognize David Newhouse and our house band, Unity. They come to every convocation, the Honor Song and the prologue to it are just key components of making this ceremony the special ceremony that it is, so a round of applause for David Newhouse and Unity. [Applause in the audience and on stage.] I wanted also to say to the graduates that I think there’s another group of people we should thank. They are the people who have supported you emotionally, maybe even financially at times during your studies here. They are kind of your back-up and they are out there in the audience. I ask you to stand up and give a rousing round of applause for your supporters. [Graduates stand at the stage and face the audience, cheering and clapping.] Thank you. Feel the love. Congratulations to all our new alumni, including Doctor Maracle. Please join us for a reception in the Alumni Atrium in the Student Centre – that’s the building behind Bata Library – following the ceremony. The procession will leave the stage following the singing of ‘O Canada’ and I would ask that you remain standing if you are able until the procession has departed. Mister Chancellor, I now call upon you for some closing remarks. [Leo Groarke leaves the large lectern.] [01:04:53] [Don Tapscott stands at the large lectern.] Don Tapscott: Thank you, Mister President. And thanks to all of you for being here today, it was a very special occasion. One reason for me is that it’s the first time I’ve shaken hands with a baby. That was pretty cool. But I hope that you’ll look back on today with great fondness. Not just as the end of a stage in your life, but as the beginning of a whole new chapter. You all know the Trent Latin motto – ‘nunc cognosco ex parte’ – which means now I know everything. [Audience and stage chuckle.] Oh, sorry about that. Apparently, I got that one wrong. It’s ‘now I know in part.’ And I hope that what you’ve learned at Trent will equip you for success in the market because that you’ve acquired is not just skills and knowledge, but a capacity to think and solve problems, to collaborate and research, and hopefully you’ve developed a passion for lifelong learning because you will reinvent your knowledge base multiple times. So, professionally you will succeed, the data shows that and as you leave this wonderful institution, as Spock would have said ‘Live Long and Prosper.’ Build a prosperous life, for yourself and your families but because you have chosen to study topics related to our environment, you’ve self-selected to more than live a prosperous life. And I commend you for that. As Doctor Sylvia Maracle pointed out, we do need to protect our environment and this is the great historic challenge of our times. I know I’m preaching to the converted on that topic. But you know, consider climate change alone – if we reduce carbon by 80% by the year 2050, it’ll still take a thousand years for the planet to cool down. And in the meantime, we know some bad things are going to happen – a billion people probably will lose their water supply or most of it in the next decade or two. So, we need to mobilize the planet to solve this problem. And our planet has been mobilized before around world wars but we were on different sides. We need a mobilization where we’re on the same side and not just every company and every government and every organization, but every school, every kid in every school yard and the entire planet. And if we do that, then maybe the smaller world your children will inherit will be a sustainable one. So, the world that you’re entering is full of opportunities but also this historic challenge and your generation is really being called upon to fix some problems that my generation is leaving for you – sorry about that. So, each of you will need to step up in what is one of the greatest – maybe the greatest – transformation ever, economically, socially, and politically. Now I’m not suggesting that each of you go work for an NGO or become candidate for leader of the world or something like that, but each of you will have a critical role to play in this transformation, whether you’re a scientist or an entrepreneur, a consultant, a business executive, an educator, a public-sector manager, politician, social innovator, or parent. And my hope is that you will also teach your children well and that overall, you will live a principled life of consequence and surely you must. Of course, this week you have an additional historic opportunity and that’s to exercise your precious right to vote. I’ve just come back from some parts of the world where young people would die, literally, to have that right. You have it now. And your generation is the largest voting block now in Canada. You will determine the outcome of elections for the greater part of this century. So, I hope that this will start for you tomorrow and that you will vote. One more thought. When I graduated from Trent, I lost contact with the university for a couple decades and in hindsight, I regret that. Overtime I started to think maybe I should get involved again and it wasn’t out of a sense of obligation or of personal benefit, but more that this is a very precious institution that’s worth defending and worth advancing. And so, I encourage you not to make the same mistake I did and to listen to Jess’s advice and follow up with that email. And I know being involved has certainly brought me a great sense of satisfaction. So again, congratulations to all of you. Good luck. Dream big. Be bold. Be Consequential. Protect our planet and change the world. Convocation is now dismissed. [Cheers and applause from all.] [01:10:53] [O Canada plays. It is an orchestral version without words, played over the sound system. Audience members, graduates, and members of the Academic Procession stand as able. Most remove their hats. Some sing along to the melody. A sign language interpreter signs the words from the right-hand side of the stage. The views shift multiple times to show both audience and stage.] [01:12:09] [O Canada ends. The Academic Procession leaves the stage, following the same order and path used to enter the stage. The Academic Procession is followed by the Graduand Procession. The banner on the screen reads “Thanks for watching. Congratulations to All!”]