... in committing myself to you and the mission of this great Canadian institution, I commit myself again to a world where power consorts not with ignorance and arrogance, but with wisdom, creativity, modesty, and optimism.

Keynote address - Magna Charta Observatory Conference

"At a time like ours, when ignorance consorts with power increasingly across the globe, that there should be solidarity amongst universities—that they should support one another in upholding the value and advancing the impact of sound research, that they should challenge young minds to question the received wisdom, and that they should be protected from interference in doing so—is of the utmost importance and urgency. As signatories of the Magna Charta Universitatum we are united in that cause, not for reasons that set us apart from society, but for considerations that bind us inextricably to society and the future of our planet."