Translator: Chelsea Esterline Reviewer: Denise RQ
(Recorded singing) From far and wide, O Canada,
we stand on guard for thee.
Dwight MacAulay: Do you remember
when the Canadian Football League got expanded into the United States?
It was in the early 1990s.
What you just heard was someone singing our national anthem, "O Canada."
Unfortunately, he was singing it to the tune of "O Christmas Tree."
(Laughter)
That actually happened.
Not only did he not get the tune right he didn't get the words right either.
And, of course who can forget this stellar moment:
The World Series, broadcast around the world,
and there's the Canadian flag, flying upside-down.
Protocol would have made sure neither of these events would have ever happened.
Throughout my time as Chief of Protocol,
I have invariably been asked two questions,
"What do you do?"
and "Protocol -- what's that?"
Another question that people think, but probably don't say out loud,
at least not to me, is "Protocol -- who needs it?"
People used to think of protocol
as knowing which side of the plate the fork went on
or how to hold your pinkie when you're drinking tea.
But those days are long, long gone.
One way to look at protocol
is doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.
My own personal definition of protocol used to be simply,
"good manners and common sense,"
but given the ever-changing society we're in, I would have to add the phrase,
"with respect."
It is good manners and common sense with a healthy dose of respect.
Respect for where you are, who you're with, what you're doing
and respect for what's happening.
Winston Churchill, just to paraphrase a saying of his,
it was actually about democracy, but it certainly applied to protocol.
To paraphrase it went like this,
"it's not perfect, but it's the best thing we've come up with so far."
But what is this thing we call protocol, and who needs it?
Those are good questions.
For one thing, following protocol can make you look good.
Hey, who doesn't want to look good?
Not following protocol can sometimes make you look rather foolish,
like that gentleman we heard trying to sing "O Canada."
Protocol means you are paying attention to details.
It can make everything flow.
It puts people at ease.
One of the best compliments a protocol office can receive
is when people don't know protocol's even involved at all.
When everyone thinks that whatever is happening
is just happening naturally.
The universe is unfolding as it should.
You've all seen the sign, "Keep calm and carry on."
Great advice.
It could and probably should be the official motto
of anybody involved in protocol.
Protocol today is often heard in reference to the rules of government.
It's a French word actually,
and it's meant to describe the rules of etiquette for diplomats.
I really don't like the word "rules" in this definition,
because rules implies that they're cast in stone.
The simple truth is that they're not.
Well, that is except for these rules
which we're told really were cast in stone at one time.
I was watching television the other night, and I saw an ad for an investment firm,
and their motto was, "It's time to bench the benchmarks."
That also applies in part to protocol.
Protocol is found everywhere,
in many circles, far outside of diplomatic circles.
Schools have protocols, the military has protocols,
golfers have protocols,
hospitals have protocols, penitentiaries have protocols.
Protocols are found everywhere, every day, in virtually every section of society,
and you practice protocols several times each day in your workplace.
You do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.
Protocol I think is a relatively fluid practice,
and it's becoming more so every day.
In fact, it's become so entrenched in our day-to-day life,
it's really become part of our culture.
About 50 years ago, a young singer named Bob Dylan wrote a song called
"The times they are a-changin'."
Oh, boy! Are they ever?
We're now living in a multicultural society
the likes of which this nation has never seen before; ever.
Right now, today, there are over 70 different languages
spoken in every major city in this country.
But in addition to how our culture, our society, and our protocols
are changing as a result of outside influences,
we can't overlook that fact
that we're changing from the inside, as well,
as we recognize and respect our indigenous peoples, our First Nations.
It's quite common today to hear someone start a speech
by recognizing they're giving a speech on treaty land,
that's to say land that once belonged to the First Nations.
That same person may also end their speech by saying something like,
"Thank you, merci, and miigwech," Ojibwe for 'thank you.'
Let's be honest for a moment,
you wouldn't have heard either one of those phrases 20 years ago.
Have you ever traveled to another country
and been caught off guard by some of the customs that are in place?
Chances are for some of you, maybe many of you, the answer is yes.
Have you ever put out your hand for a handshake,
and instead, the person kisses you on both cheeks?
It's important when you travel to another country
to know about the customs, the cultures, and the protocols that are in place.
Governments from coast to coast
are continuously organizing trade missions to other nations.
These are complicated, but one thing at the top of their mind,
of the leader's mind, that's going to travel to another nation, is protocol;
because in essence, they're going to meet a lot of people they've never met before.
They want to know stuff like, who's going to do the introductions?
Is there a gift exchange?
What's appropriate?
Is language an issue?
Where will I sit?
How will the meeting start?
How will the meeting end?
Many nations have a protocol for exchanging business cards.
This may all sound kind of trivial, but trust me, they are important.
This is where protocol can bring a sense of calmness
and really a sense of familiarity to an event or to a meeting.
But just as our leaders are going to other countries,
other countries have people here:
diplomats, ambassadors, and high commissioners
- They're really the same thing by the way,
except high commissioners are from Commonwealth countries -
and consuls general
are continuously visiting cities across this nation
and regions across the nation,
because they want to know about our people.
They want to know about our success stories,
they want to know about our culture, they want to know about our protocols
because they want to know how their country can do business with ours.
And when they're here, they want to meet people who can make things happen.
They want to meet the leaders, the premiers, the mayors,
members of cabinet,
and they want to meet
the captains of industry, education, science, and innovation.
Whenever a diplomat is visiting,
protocol can and will play a very important role
in ensuring that visit is positive, productive, and a success.
But protocol, like everything, has to change to keep up with the times.
Earlier I said that protocol can make you look good.
That's only true most of the time.
Even the Geneva Convention protocols
have been changed twice since they were first established.
Why?
Because the times demanded that that they needed to change.
If protocol, like everything, doesn't change with the times,
it can have somewhat of a negative impact.
Pope Francis, earlier this year, said it was time for the Church to rethink
how it looks upon marginalized members of society.
In other words, it was time to take a look at their protocols,
because the protocols that had been in place for decades, maybe centuries,
aren't relevant in today's society.
In simple terms, they don't work.
Even protocol surrounding the Queen is changing.
One aspect of protocol with the Queen is that her standard, her flag,
will only fly upon a building or palace whenever she is there.
Those of you old enough to remember will recall that in 1997,
when Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris,
the people of England were demanding
that a flag be flown at half mast on Buckingham Palace.
The Queen wasn't in Buckingham Palace, and so no flag was flown.
Despite an uproar from the media and an outcry from the general public,
no flag was flying at half mast on Buckingham Palace.
Finally, on the day of the funeral, there it was.
But you know what?
The damage was done.
For the first time in nearly half a century,
the people of England began to feel a disconnect with their queen.
What caused that?
Protocol.
But since that time,
the Queen has lowered the flag on Buckingham Palace several times.
She lowered it when the Queen Mother died.
She lowered it when former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died.
She lowered it when 9/11 happened.
She lowered it when the London subways were bombed in 2005.
So you can see
protocols can and are changing at every level of society.
The Hudson's Bay Company is one of the oldest, it might be the oldest
continually operating company in North America.
It was founded in 1670,
long before there was a United States, long before there was a Canada.
One of the protocols of the Hudson's Bay Company used to say
that whenever a monarch visited this part of the world,
they were to be gifted with two black beaver pelts, furs.
In 1984, when the Queen visited Manitoba,
the Hudson's Bay Company wanted to honor that protocol,
but they recognized times had changed, and protocols had changed,
so what they did is they gifted in the Queen's name,
two black living beavers to the Assiniboine Zoo.
Just as an aside, I can tell you that during the ceremony,
- and Her Majesty was there for the ceremony -
the two beavers started having sex.
(Laughter)
She reportedly is to have said, "Frisky little devils, aren't they?"
(Laughter)
Throughout my career, I have been lucky enough to be involved
in several major events,
like royal visits, like visits from heads of state.
I've also been lucky enough to be involved in trade missions
that have taken me to countries virtually all over the world.
For those of you who practice protocol,
if it's any comfort, I can tell you I can't recall a single event, not one,
that's ever really gone just exactly the way I wanted it to.
As I've said, keep calm and carry on.
But regardless of the culture or the circumstance of the event,
clearly, protocols, the culture protocols, are changing everywhere.
We need to change how we show respect, and we need to respect,
maybe more importantly, that we've got to change.
Let me come back to that earlier question I mentioned.
Protocol -- who needs it?
You already know the answer.
It's everyone.
Thank you, merci, and miigwech.
(Applause)