Welcome to my new blog! Please visit regularly. I think this online journal is a great way for me to connect with members. I look forward to hearing your stories, your thoughts, and your ideas as well.
The following is a transcript of my first speech as Chief Commissioner. It was delivered in Toronto following Scouts Canada’s Annual General Meeting on November 22, 2008. Enjoy! 
Special guests, fellow members of Scouting, ladies and gentlemen… good evening.
What an incredible honour it is to stand before you this evening as your new Chief Commissioner.
Mesdames et monsieur, bonsoir. Je suis vraiment enthousiaste par rapport à mon nouveau rôle. J’ai hâte de travailler avec vous au cours des trois prochaines années.
I want to begin my remarks this evening by paying tribute to our outgoing Chief Commissioner, Glenn Armstrong. I have had the opportunity to work with Glenn for the past three years as a member of the Board of Governors. As many of you know, Glenn has been an active member of our movement for practically his entire life. And in the past three years, he was an outstanding leader for Scouting in Canada. He has worked tirelessly to promote Scouting throughout this nation, and during his tenure he touched down in most parts of the country. Glenn has actively sought out opportunities to engage our members, and to get to know them and to listen to their ideas and concerns. He has been an outstanding representative of our organization.
One of the things that has impressed me the most about Glenn Armstrong is his deep passion for Scouting and the pride he has exhibited in carrying out the role of Chief Commissioner. He has obviously proud to lead, and tonight, Glenn, as you join us along with your wife and your children, I want to tell you how proud we are of you, and how grateful we are for the tremendous contribution you have made to the Scouting movement.
The last three years have indeed been eventful. Glenn and his team have led us through some challenging times. As I take the helm this evening, I can say confidently that our ship is in great shape.
Ensemble, sous la direction de Glenn, nous avons résolu plusieurs problèmes, vaincu l’adversité, et nous avons établi une base solide pour l’avenir.
Now is the time for us to build on the great work that has been done. Now is the time for us to dig in and work together to grow our organization. As your new Chief Commissioner, I pledge to work as hard as I can to ensure that we achieve our goals and bring Scouting to more of Canada’s children and youth.
As this is actually the first time since 1998 that I have had the chance to address this gathering, I want to share with you a little bit about me, and I want to begin our conversation about where I would like to see our organization go over the next few years.
Like many of you, Scouting has been part of my life since childhood. I joined Cubs in my hometown of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, in 1986. My aunt encouraged me to go, because one of my cousins had been involved, so off I went to St. Peter’s gymnasium on a Tuesday night. I was greeted by Mr. Meaney, who told me his name was Akela, and he led me to a corner of the gym where he introduced me to my Sixer. That was the beginning of my Scouting adventure. Little did I know that it would be lifelong.
Within a matter of weeks, my father went from being an occasional parent helper to becoming a full-fledged leader. Two years later, he became Akela. His Scouting involvement continued for many years, and we still drag him out of retirement from time to time to help with our local group.
Throughout my Cub and Scout years, I made some lifelong friends, and I learned a lot about myself. I had my first opportunities to play leadership roles. I learned about teamwork. I learned about goal setting and project planning. I fell in love with the outdoors. Perhaps most importantly, I learned what volunteerism and community service were all about, and these early experiences undoubtedly played a major role in the career paths I have chosen.
I have an endless number of great Scouting memories. Even today, my friends and I reminisce about our fun times together as we grew up in this movement. I recall the nervous anticipation I felt when we would carry out the special jungle opening at our Cub meetings, crawling through the liars that we had constructed out of big cardboard boxes. I remember being invested as a Scout, standing on a campsite at Camp Morristown on a cold Sunday morning shortly after sunrise, surrounded by my patrol members and our senior Scouts.
I reflect back on the challenge camps where we competed as a troop, pulling together as a team in order to capture the district trophy. I go on and on, about competing in Kub Kar rallies, sleeping in snow shelters in the middle of winter, or staying up late at the campfire pit while wrapped in a raggedy campfire blanket to keep warm. I hope over the next few years to hear your stories, and to hear about how Scouting has shaped your life.
Je peux honnêtement vous dire que le Scoutisme fait partie intégrante de qui je suis, du genre de personne que je m’efforce d'être et du genre de vie que j’aimerais poursuivre.
My first time leaving the island of Newfoundland was to attend the Canadian Jamboree in 1993. My own Venturer company’s fundraising efforts fell short, so I saved my own money and signed on with a Venturer company from Gander in central Newfoundland.
En m’assoyant aux pieds des Rocheuses, j’ai commencé à réaliser la grandeur de notre pays et après quelque temps, j’ai noté que peu importe d'où nous venons, nous les gens du mouvement scout, avons plusieurs points en commun.
Later that same year, my Council Commissioner called me and asked me to take part in a National Youth Forum, and within weeks, I saw the nation’s capital for the first time. That weekend, I met Herb Pitts, our National Commissioner, and he talked to us about his belief that young people should play a greater role in decision making at all levels of Scouts Canada. Youth from across Canada worked together for the next couple of years, charting the course for youth involvement in our organization. Herb's vision was that we would find our way. He believed in us and he knew what was possible. In 1995, on the eve of my seventeenth birthday, the National Council unanimously voted to give youth a voice and a vote at the National Council table. It was one of the best birthday gifts I think I’ve ever received.
Nous avons parcouru beaucoup de chemin depuis ce temps. Je serai toujours reconnaissant envers les opportunités qui m’ont été offertes par le mouvement à tous les niveaux: local, national et international.
As I look around the room tonight, I see the faces of young leaders that are making a contribution within every one of our twenty Councils.
As the new Chief Commissioner, I want to inspire more young people to step up and take a leadership role. I hope that I can be an example of what can be achieved when we give young people an opportunity to serve.
Au cours des dernières années, une rumeur circulait disant que les jeunes n’étaient pas intéressés par certains comités ou n’étaient pas prêts à entreprendre certains rôles. Aujourd’hui nous reconnaissons qu’il y a plusieurs jeunes talentueux qui ont contribué de façon significative à tous les niveaux de notre organisation.
Youth excel when they are challenged and encouraged. If we are truly committed to remaining relevant to Canadian society, we need to engage youth more than ever before. We know that one of our biggest barriers to growth is leadership; yet, we've got all kinds of people who have come through our program, and if called upon, many would be willing to give back to Scouting. I assure you tonight that I will never pay lip service when it comes to involving youth in decision making in this organization. I have a unique opportunity and responsibility to lead by example, and I intend to do so.
Fellow Scouters, in each of our communities and in each of our Councils, our greatest leaders are right under our noses. They are products of Scouting, just like you and I. Of course, we need to take into account that in some cases they are students, and may only be available for a term or two, or professionals who may be available every few weeks instead of every Tuesday night. So we need to figure out how to find a place for these people and get them involved.
I believe that the time is right for us to really and truly focus our energies on growing our membership. We have all talked about it for a long time, and some of our Councils have already made great progress. In many ways, we already know what we need to do. I believe that together we can grow Scouting by focusing on the fundamentals – recruiting and supporting adult volunteers and ensuring the delivery of exciting, quality programs to youth.
I would like to see Scouting regain its rightful place in the eyes of the Canadian public. We are a vibrant, dynamic, and relevant youth movement that contributes greatly to the development of young people – we need to truly be seen that way. We have a proud history and a strong base of support – we need to build on our strengths and grow the movement… one leader, one child, one section, one group at a time. Ultimately, from the Board of Governors to the section level, as an organization we need to focus on the strategic directions. By truly embracing them at all levels of the organization, we can see Scouting grow in communities across Canada.
I have had the privilege of working with four national commissioners, including our two past Chief Commissioners. I have learned a great deal from each of them.
Mike Scott and Glenn Armstrong both agree that the Section Scouter is the most important person in Scouting. It’s the section Scouter that will determine how strong the program is, and how many youth take part in it. We all need to think about what we can each do to focus more energy directly on recruiting, training and supporting the Section Scouter.
Je crois que c’est tout d’abord de revenir à la base. Si nous nous concentrons à améliorer notre recrutement et nos procédures d’entraînement et à supporter nos chefs au niveau de section, nous pourrions connaître une croissance sans précédent dans tous les conseils du Canada.
Ladies and gentlemen, we must never lose sight of why we’re all here. I’m here because I gained a great deal from being involved in Scouting growing up. As I have shared with you tonight, Scouting is part of my history, and as leaders today, we play a significant role in creating history and making memories for children and youth in our communities.
I would like to say thank you to those who played a role in my selection as your new Chief Commissioner. While I’m a little overwhelmed, all I can do is make the same promise that I made back in 1986 at that first Cub meeting. I promise that I will do my best.
I want to thank my wife, Janet, for making the trip this weekend. If you meet her later on and happen to forget her name, she also answers to Rainbow. Janet and I remain active in our local group, and in fact, she tells me that at the moment the front hallway in our home is blocked solid with our group’s popcorn orders. She’s also busy preparing for our first Beaver sleepover and Cub camp this year, which is happening next weekend.
Janet est aussi une enseignante d'immersion française alors je suis en train d'améliorer mon français. Mais, sans doute, cela prendra du temps. Il est important que je fasse de mon mieux afin de communiquer avec les membres dans les deux langues officielles.
Scouting and Guiding have always been and will continue to be very special to us. At our wedding in July, many of the people in the room were friends we’ve met through Scouting and Guiding. Seven of the eight people who stood for me in our wedding party have been members of Scouting at some point. Someday, Janet and I may even take it a step further and do our part to grow the Beaver population. But there’s lots of time for that!
I want to thank you for listening tonight. In closing, I also want to thank you sincerely for your tireless commitment to this organization. I am humbled to have been appointed as your new Chief Commissioner and Chair of the Board of Governors.
I can’t offer any magic or miracles -- I’m simply a guy whose life has been enriched by Scouting, and I will continue to try and give something back. I consider my new role to be that of Chief Service Scouter. In that role, I will do what I can to support you in your work, to celebrate your successes, and to help you ensure that more and more youth take part in quality Scouting programs.
I sincerely look forward in working with you as we grow this great organization. We should always remember that by doing what we do, we really are creating a better world. The future is ours, and our greatest moments are still to come.
Merci beaucoup.
Thank you very much.