Good evening everyone!

(Applause)

How’s it going, Ottawa?

(Applause)

Now, I’m sorry to have to start with some bad news but unfortunately, the Prime Minister of Canada wasn’t able to join us tonight.  He sent me, his Youth Minister, in his place.

(Cheers)

Thank you so much for joining us on Parliament Hill as we kick off the One Young World Summit in Ottawa!

(Cheers)

I’d like to start by saying thank you and congratulations to the roughly 1300 delegates soon to be ambassadors who were selected for this year’s summit.  Thank you all!

(Cheers)

And thank you to all of this year’s inspiring counsellors for sharing their stories and expertise with us.  And thank you to Kate and David who have spearheaded such an extraordinarily important and worthwhile organization with Young One… Young One World.

It’s a privilege for Canada to host this summit for the first time in our capital. I hope that you’ll have the chance to take advantage of all that Ottawa has to offer. You know, every time I talk about leadership and change to young people, I always come back to the same point. I don’t think that you are the leaders of tomorrow, I know that you’re already leaders of today!

(Applause)

And that comes with enormous responsibilities, but also with extraordinary opportunities. You have some exciting days ahead of you. You’re going to have the opportunity to listen to some exceptional leaders and talk about ways we can make real and lasting change all over the world. You… You’ll long remember your discussions about mental health, peace and security, Indigenous issues and innovation. You will also be meeting people you’ll probably remain friends with for the rest of your lives.

As future ambassadors, you have access to an unparalleled network of forward-thinking progressive leaders from every corner of the world so make good use of your new global community and do something great with it.

See, not just as Canada’s Minister of Youth but as Canada’s Prime Minister, I’m reminded each and every day just how much potential lies in our young people.  Not just here in Canada but right around the world.  Your generation is politically engaged, educated, innovative, inclusive, and progressive.  You need to harness that potential to make the world a better place. 

And I know that every person here tonight is committed to doing just that in one way or another.  Because, after all, you’re each here for a reason.  You’re here to be part of something so much bigger than ourselves.  So to everyone in this crowd and to young people everywhere, please remember, what you do, what you say, and the choices you make have the power to change the world. 

By working together as citizens, governments, and public and private partners, we will create a future that we’ll all be proud of for this generation and for generations to come.

And if I may, I would like to talk to you about an initiative I’m really excited about. Our government has just launched the Prime Minister’s Youth Council.  We just launched this morning the Prime Minister’s Youth Council.

It’s a group of young leaders…

(Applause)

This is a group of young leaders from diverse backgrounds who are going to keep me informed on a regular basis about the issues our country is facing, and working with me to build solutions. This is a new way for young people to have a direct impact on the policies that affect them today and in the future. And to the young Canadians here this evening, don’t forget that you have until October 7 to put in your applications for the second round of recruitment for the Council.

So remember, in the coming month, you will be able to apply yourselves to be a member of the new Prime Minister’s Youth Council because we need extraordinary young people from right across the country.  I need your ideas, your creativity, your experiences, and mostly, your belief in a better future for us all.

So, my friends, have a fantastic summit over the next few days.  Stay ambitious.  Stay focused.  And to inspire us all and to inspire me, it now gives me great pleasure to call up in front of you the inaugural members of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council from all across Canada, Erin, Ashley, Alex, Chris, Donovan, Elyse, Gregory, Hani, Joseph, Marc, Moustafa, Misoma (ph), Rachel, Sarah, and Sylvia!

(Cheers & music)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: Thank you Prime Minister and congratulations to the young leaders.  Thank you.