Monday, October 28, 2024 

Check against delivery

President Gertler and distinguished members of the platform party; Ms Kennedy and members of Governing Council; faculty, librarians, staff, and alumni; graduands, family, and friends: 

This speech is my first official act as your newly installed Chancellor. So, let me put first things first. To the Class of 2024: Congratulations on your graduation from the University of Toronto! 

In a few moments, you’ll be joining the global community of U of T alumni. They’re leaders in every walk of life, and they’re found in virtually every country on the planet. And they’re driving change for the better, in their communities and in society as a whole. Looking around this historic hall right now, I know that the Class of 2024 is going to add to that legacy, each of you in your own way. 

I want to express my gratitude: to the College of Electors, for electing me to serve as the 35^th Chancellor; to my predecessors in the position, including Dr. Rose Patten, the Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy and the Honourable Dr. David Peterson; and to those who’ve just offered official words of welcome to me on my installation. 

Before I go any further, I would also like to offer a special thank you to my amazing wife Christine and our five children for your support on this journey we are on together. You are my foundation, my North Star. Your love and unwavering support have carried me through every challenge. You are the source of my strength, and I thank you for being with me every step of the way. 

It is with a profound sense of responsibility that I stand before you today, accepting the role of Chancellor of the University of Toronto. As the 35^th – and first Black – Chancellor in U of T’s almost 200-year history, I feel both pride and humility in donning these robes. My presence here is a testament to the progress we have made, at U of T and in society as a whole. But it’s also a reminder of the work yet ahead of us.   

We have a very strong foundation to build on. But we need to keep working together, to extend the promise of inclusive excellence for generations to come. 

The University of Toronto is Canada’s leading university, and one of the world’s top institutions of higher education and advanced research. Through our amazing diversity, and the breadth and depth of our academic strengths, we are a global beacon of hope. Our responsibility is not only to create new knowledge and drive innovation in every field. Our calling is to inspire and to lead – to build a sustainable, prosperous future, and a just and peaceful world, for our neighbours, our fellow Canadians and for people everywhere. 

As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” That’s my commitment to you today, as Chancellor: to celebrate and encourage your leadership in realizing that hopeful vision. 

I reflect often on my own journey. I was born in rural Jamaica, in St. Thomas, the poorest parish on the island. I spent my early childhood in a zinc-roofed shack, raised by my grandmother, Julia Vassell, who cared for 10 grandkids and a special needs adult daughter. My grandmother’s strength, and wisdom became my lifelong mission to emulate.  

When I came to Canada, I faced many challenges, including racism. But here in this country I was also able to create opportunities for myself and for countless others. I refused to take ‘no’ for an answer, and I refused to accept defeat. And I didn’t do this alone. I received support from people who do not look like me, and that made it possible for me to be where I am today. It took courage for them to go against the norm, but that didn’t deter them. 

The fact is, while many have increasingly critiqued the validity and impact of equity, diversity and inclusion, or EDI, it is these very principles that have been removing barriers to education and employment opportunities. If you remain committed to inclusive practices in your daily path, you will be a part of a legacy of champions who will open doors and help others to realise their full potential. 

Canada is not immune to the realities of systemic racism and the many forms of discrimination that we see in our society. And we continue to reckon with the painful history and present-day impacts of colonialism on Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island. Systemic inequities are embedded in our institutions, including in academia. And, while we’ve made progress in dismantling some of these barriers, we need to move faster.  

With that said, I find joy and hope in the countless individuals, community groups and organizations that continue to confront issues of inequity. And we are learning so much as a result. Here’s what we know already. 

Diverse leadership works. The rise of women leaders, and leaders from racialized and other underrepresented communities – this brings transformative advantages for all of society, not just for those communities. 

Diversity drives creativity and innovation. Every culture, every nationality and every individual brings a unique lens, and a different way of seeing the world. When we bring all these perspectives together, that’s when miracles happen.   

Diversity also drives productivity and performance. Data show that organizations promoting diversity have happier, more engaged and more productive teams. They are more agile, more competitive and more successful as a result. And I dare anyone to tell me otherwise. 

The reality is that diversity lifts us all. We are starting to understand the power and necessity of bringing people together, as individuals, as unique communities, and as one united, human community. 

Under President Gertler’s leadership, the University of Toronto has come to speak of itself in terms of its power to ‘defy gravity’. I’ve seen this power on our three campuses this fall – the groundbreaking search for new cancer medications at U of T Mississauga; the new hub for innovation and entrepreneurship at U of T Scarborough; and the cutting-edge infrastructure to combat climate change, under the landscape right outside this building. 

And earlier this month I got to pay tribute to a Nobel Prize winner, U of T’s own Geoffrey Hinton, for his game-changing discoveries in Artificial Intelligence. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the role of Chancellor! 

The U of T community has the power to push the boundaries of what’s possible. We don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. And that applies to every key challenge we face in the world today. 

You, as alumni, will remain a crucial part of this amazing anti-gravity machine. See the opportunities others don’t see. Do what others don’t dare to do.  Each of you has a role, in our mission to lift all people in every field. 

I am deeply honored by the trust you’ve placed in me. Together we will forge a future where diversity is not just recognized but cherished, where equity is not a burden but a responsibility, and where inclusion is not a goal to be achieved but the very core of who we are.  

People take this journey to university for various reasons. But I know that for our U of T graduates, beyond their individual goals, they are united in wanting to build a better world.  

On this happy day, I encourage you to take pride in your accomplishments. And I call on you to leave this hall determined to use what you have learned here to benefit those around you, throughout your lives and careers. 

Thank you, everyone. And once again: Congratulations to the Class of 2024!