Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan: The LaFontaine-Baldwin Lecture - 2010-10-15

Extract: "Too often, democracy is understood to be only about elections - momentary majorities. But effective governance is much more than that. What happens before and after elections? How are choices framed and explained? How is decision-making shared? - so that leaders of different backgrounds can interactively govern-- rather than small cliques rule autocratically.

Extract: "What the Canadian experience suggests to me is that identity itself can be pluralistic. Honoring one’s own identity need not mean rejecting others. One can embrace an ethnic or religious heritage, while also sharing a sense of national or regional pride. To cite a timely example, I believe one can live creatively and purposefully as both a devoted Muslim and a committed European.