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Attendees at the fireside chat with the Rt. Hon. David Johnston at CUE were treated to David’s fascinating stories of close-encounters with world leaders and wisdom from his leadership roles, including his many years as Governor General of Canada from 2010-2017.

David spoke at the Tegler Student Centre at CUE this week to launch his new book Empathy: Turning Compassion into Action. Dr. Cecelia Bukutu, Director of the Public Health Department at CUE, moderated a discussion that touched on David’s most important values – including lessons learned from people he knew personally – most notably Queen Elizabeth II, Angela Merkel and other influential figures. 

At the heart of his message was that society needs leaders in the community who exhibit trust and empathy. Trust in public institutions is critical to a well-functioning society, and as David told the audience, “Trust is implicit to fairness and the rule of law… The heart of justice is fairness,” he emphasized. “When people trust one another they are more likely to work together towards a common goal.”

David says the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” continues to be meaningful. In particular, he says, “Step into another’s shoes, then you can put empathy into action. It begins with the heart not the “I”. 

He assured the audience that we can build empathy and caring in daily life in very simple ways.

“Meet people with a smile, step aside and open the door for someone else. Work hard to take situations that could lead to conflict and have them lead to opportunities.” – David Johnston

David recognizes that the world’s problems today can look overwhelming, which is why he emphasized a story from one of the most charitable world figures. “Mother Teresa was looking after 250 families in a city of 20 million people – This was still just a drop in the ocean of those needing help. She said ‘The way you help heal the world is you start with your own family.’ I promise you there is someone who will need your love and care.”

David told the audience many funny and inspiring stories of his encounters with Queen Ellizabeth II. He also tells us that her favorite parable in the bible of the Good Samaritan stays with him always, and teaches us a great lesson in compassion and kindness. The story shows us that sometimes the people we least expect to help us may be the ones who come to our aid in a time of crisis. David touched again on what CUE President Tim Loreman mentioned in his opening speech, which said that kind acts, like those of the Good Samaritan, can have a ripple effect in the world. Every kind act is meaningful – no matter how small. 

One topic dear to David’s heart is inclusivity. He said, “As a leader I was often asked, ‘How do Canadians do so well at welcoming multiculturalism?’ As Canadians we’re proud to be inclusive.” As Governor General, David was instrumental at acknowledging and celebrating Canadian diversity. His work at the Rideau Hall Foundation is working to increase the numbers of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis teachers by 10,000 and to promote sustainable Indigenous teacher employment opportunities. Most importantly, David says through the process of listening and learning, and implementing Indigenous-led and community-driven approaches, they are seeing great success. 

Finally, after an intriguing question and answer period between David and the audience, guests were invited to have their books signed by him in CUE’s bookstore.

There are still books available at the bookstore! To hear a student’s perspective on the book, please watch Navleen Kaur, President of Concordia Student Association as she discusses her favorite lessons learned.