Peço a seguir o favor de passarem a palavra á minha colega da provincia canadiana de Sascachevão, a ilustríssima deputada Joanne Crofford, que se encontra aqui presente em representação das provincias e territórios canadianos.

Em nome do Goveno do Canadá, desejo felicitar o Goveno de Portugal pela sua iniciativa de celebrar a presente conferência.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate the Government of Portugal for its initiative in holding this conference."

(Salutations to those in attendance: Conference Chair, UN Secretary General, Ministers, youth delegates and other dignitaries.)

Thank you for that kind introduction. Please recognize my colleague from the province of Saskatchewan, the Honourable Joanne Crofford, who is here representing the provinces and territories.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate the Government of Portugal for its initiative in holding this conference.

I wish to speak briefly of Canada's vision for the future of our youth.

As we move towards the 21st century, our nations are coping with the impact of globalization and the unprecedented development of new technologies. This presents our youth with formidable challenges and greater opportunities than ever before.

It is critical, therefore, that our young men and women fulfil their educational potential. By drawing upon each-nation's experiences, we can bring down barriers to education, improve the lives of our citizens and enrich our social fabric. Canada, I am proud to say, has one of the highest enrolments in post-secondary education among industrialized nations.

A person's education, however, is no longer finished when he or she leaves school. Canada stresses a commitment to lifelong learning, which is rapidly becoming a part of every worker's life.

Of course, youth unemployment is a major concern to all nations. Canada is addressing this challenge through specialized programs that immerse young people in work and life experiences. Young men and women have tremendous vitality and optimism. If we give them the tools, they will gain unbridled self-confidence and mature into solid citizens, ready, willing and able to make meaningful contributions to society.

Our countries have youth who are at risk of not acquiring adequate skills and being left behind as the world moves into the 21st century. These individuals need our help, because all young-people are valued citizens who deserve a chance to reach their full potential.

But no one social sector, no one level of government, has all the answers to youth unemployment. Productive partnerships draw upon the strengths of all levels of government, educators, NGOs, business, labour, community organizations and youth themselves.

I believe the key to success in this regard is through participation; that is, empowering our young men and women to discover their potential and bring forward innovative solutions.

It is crucial that young Canadians learn more about the customs of other nations, while youth in your countries learn more about us. The Government of Canada provides this opportunity through international internships where Canadian youth develop their skills for the global market while helping establish similar opportunities for their counterparts in other countries. Such experiences allow our young people to build bridges to other cultures, helping to nurture tolerance and understanding while making friendships which could last a lifetime.

At April's Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Canada's Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, announced Canada NetCorps - a program that will allow young Canadians to go to other countries in the Americas to work with young people there, to give them improved access to education, health and other resources through computer technology.

This is one element of the future - the great strides being made in the field of technology. But we must not focus on technology to the exclusion of other important elements. We must also listen to what young people are telling us, as we recently did in Canada where a gathering of 100 young developed recommendations that helped build our position for this conference, as well as the position of our youth delegates at last week's World Youth Forum in Braga.

At that forum, Canada's Secretary of State for Children and Youth, the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew, chaired a round-table discussion that examined the proposed Declaration on Youth from the perspective of indigenous youth. Canada has put forward a clause on indigenous youth that we hope delegates will endorse.

I spoke earlier about partnerships and I want to assure delegates that we will give full consideration to the concerns of other nations. I am confident that together we will produce a Declaration that has real meaning for youth worldwide. It is important because, collectively, our youth will shape the global community of the new millennium.

We know our youth desire a stronger voice in government because youth delegates at this conference spent countless hours giving us their valuable input. I congratulate them for their contribution.

Canada recognizes that our youth are our future and we have invested economically and socially in our youth to prepare them for that future. But we cannot succeed if we work in isolation. We must, and we will, work in partnership with other governments to ensure that young people worldwide have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

Youth are the future - not only for our individual nations - they are the future of our expanding and interrelated global community.

Through positive collaboration we can draw upon each other's experiences. By sharing those experiences, by developing a consensus on effective approaches to the betterment of youth, we will improve our respective societies and, in the process, make the world a finer place in which to live.

I believe the nations of the world have every reason to look forward to a bright, prosperous future. The contagious enthusiasm of our young men and women will bring us successfully into the 21st century. So let us take a positive stand, and embark upon this journey together.

Thank you. I look forward to hearing the ideas of my fellow ministers.