Retired Lt. General Roméo Dallaire had not returned to where he grew up in East Montreal for years, but on Thursday morning, he found himself back in his hometown to accept an award recognizing his remarkable efforts as a humanitarian.
“It’s sort of a homecoming for me and I’m very grateful for it and it gave me the opportunity to introduce Marie, my lovely wife who has given me a second breath of life, to see my youth,” Dallaire said. “What I have seen was a miracle, from a disastrous chemical and polluted part of town into one of the greenest, most beautiful and lovely places to be.”
Dallaire is being recognized for his humanitarian work by Canada’s Walk of Fame, a not-for-profit organization that celebrates extraordinary Canadians. The organization was formed 25 years ago. Awards used to be handed out in Toronto to Canadians from across the country, but six years ago, the organization created a hometown initiative, honouring Canadians in the towns where they grew up. Dallaire was the first honouree to be celebrated in French.
“By bringing our inductees back to their hometown, we are not just honouring them, we are also honouring the people that were part of their walk to fame, their journeys,” said Canada’s Walk of Fame CEO Jeffrey Latimer.
Organizers say Dallaire’s long, celebrated humanitarian efforts were a natural fit for the award. From alerting the world to the Rwandan genocide in 1994, his work helping soldiers with PTSD, to his openness with his own mental health battles and his efforts against the use of child soldiers, the list of his achievements is long and impactful.
“He is a role model for young people and if you are going to pick a general who has gone through so much, he represents so many great stories for us as Canadians to be inspired by,” Latimer said.
The former senator says he’s humbled by the recognition and hopes it inspires others.
“If they can use it to help others, to encourage others to continue to want to serve this extraordinary country of ours by their example or their works, well if that is their ultimate goal, I am for it and happy to participate,” he said.