Speaking to thousands of students at a WE Day event in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged them to see themselves as “leaders today,” not leaders of tomorrow.
Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, were last-minute additions to the WE Day lineup, which also listed appearances by former Paralympian Rick Hansen and Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall.
“We Day is not about you becoming leaders of tomorrow,” Trudeau told the crowd of some 16,000 students and educators. “This is about you being leaders today.
“Because what you do, what you say, the choices you make … that is the leadership that you’re showing right now.”
WE Day, founded by philanthropist brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger, is an annual event that celebrates youth achievements and raises money for various Canadian and global organizations.
In his speech, Trudeau encouraged the attendees to believe in themselves and the power of their own individual actions, however simple they may be.
“Each and every one of us is powerful,” he said.
“You don’t have to wait until one of you in this room – and I know at least one of you is out there – becomes prime minister to make a difference.”
Gregoire-Trudeau told the crowd that it was “an honour” for her and her husband to attend Tuesday’s event.
She encouraged young people in attendance to “really, really foster so much love and respect for yourself.”
“Ask yourself the question: How are you when you are alone with yourself and nobody else in the world is watching? How do you treat yourself?” she said.
“By loving who you are, for who you are, you’re making everything else possible.”
This was the fourth WE Day event that Trudeau attended as a speaker. The WE Day “tour” over the next few months includes stops in Atlantic Canada, Saskatchewan and Montreal.
