Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Delivers Inspirational Speech to 16,000 Students and Educators at WE Day Ottawa Celebrating Young People Changing the World

OTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - November 09, 2016) -

• WE Day streams live at 9:30 a.m. ET on November 9, 2016 at we.org/watchweday
• WE launches partnership with the Government of Canada's Canada 150 Celebration
• Photos available on the WE Day Ottawa Electronic Press Kit by 4:00 p.m. ET
• WE Day is free to thousands of students thanks to National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS
• Watch Prime Minister Trudeau's speech live at 10:05 a.m. on Facebook Live on the WE's Facebook page

Today, WE Day, welcomes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he joins 16,000 students and educators who are passionate about making a change. Joining world-renowned speakers and award-winning performers, Prime Minister Trudeau will address tens of thousands of young Canadians in celebration of the contributions they have made to their local and global communities.

"I'm honoured to return to the WE Day stage, and speak to so many ambitious, bright young minds. Young Canadians are the most educated, most connected, and most diverse generation of youth that this country has ever seen, and they are shaping our communities in ways that couldn't have been imagined even 20 years ago," said Prime Minister Trudeau. "I'm here today to let students know that -- no matter one's age -- we all have a responsibility to take a positive role in shaping the future of Canada and the world. As we count down to our country's 150^th anniversary, and look forward to the next 150 years, I know we're in good hands."

WE Day, a series of inspiring stadium-sized life-changing events that take place around the world, brings together world-renowned speakers and performers in the Nation's capital including, Hedley, Serena Ryder, Paula Abdul, Rick Hansen, Classified, Tyler Shaw, Margaret Trudeau, Governor General of Canada David Johnston, Celebrity Mauraders, Spencer West and more. Co-hosted by Much/E! host Tyrone Edwards and ETALK reporter and E! host, Chloe Wilde, award-winning singer-songwriter, speaker, SheRO & SheEO, Jully Black, and Canadian TV host of La Voix Jr Maripier! And Code F, Maripier Morin, this star-studded lineup will join international activists and WE co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, to share their passion for change and energize the crowd with unforgettable performances and motivational speeches to inspire another year of change.

WE Day is part of WE -- a movement that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world locally and globally, achieving transformative outcomes for themselves and others. People from across Ottawa can join the movement by visiting WE.org to take the WE Pledge, a commitment to living WE by making a difference every day. Led by National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS, WE Day Ottawa celebrates the remarkable stories of people creating change and provides the youth in attendance -- and tens of thousands more watching the event streamed live on WE.org/watchweday -- inspiration to find their place within the WE Movement.

Today, at WE Day Ottawa, WE launches a partnership with the Government of Canada's, Canada 150 celebration. WE is marking the 150th anniversary of Confederation through the education of Canada's history and celebration of the country's diversity, culture and future, through a multi-faceted national program called WE Are Canada. The campaign will bring Canadians together with the collective goal of inspiring them to take action and to continue to build a better and stronger Canada over the next 150 years. Led by the WE Are Canada Pledge, which invites all Canadians to commit to making a difference across the country, the program will inspire, empower and call Canadians to action. WE Are Canada initiatives will directly engage millions of young Canadians to focus on making local, national and international impacts.

With financial support from the Government of Canada, WE created a comprehensive bilingual educational curriculum to provide schools, community partners and families across the country with resources and activities to build a deeper understanding of Canada, learn about pressing national issues and discover how to make a difference for their future country. WE Are Canada will come to life in classrooms, community centres and living rooms across the country through four core themes: youth empowerment, the environment, diversity and inclusion, and reconciliation.

"It is such an amazing feeling to be here at WE Day in our country's capital, not only to celebrate the amazing actions that kids have been doing all year round, but also to show them that they are not alone in their desire for change," said Jacob Hoggard member of multi-platinum, JUNO and MMVA Award-winning music group, Hedley and WE ambassador. "I am confident that the next generation will continue to create meaningful impacts not only here in Canada but globally, creating a better world for a better tomorrow."

Speakers and performers at WE Day Ottawa will energize the crowd through a day full of powerful educational speeches, inspirational moments and empowering performances. A few must-see highlights include:

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the WE Day Ottawa crowd, sharing words of encouragement with thousands of young people in attendance
• Juno Award-winning Canadian hip hop artist and producer, Classified performs his hit song "Oh Canada"
• Multi-platinum, JUNO and MMVA Award-winning recording group and WE Ambassadors, Hedley delivers an electrifying performance with a medley of their hit songs "Can't Slow Down" and "Lose Control"

"Every year, more than 200,000 students, from over 10,000 schools around the globe earn their ticket to WE Day through the yearlong WE Schools program, creating positive impacts at their schools and in their communities," said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE. "WE Day Ottawa will unite and celebrate thousands of young leaders who are working passionately for the causes they care about most, creating sustainable change on a local and global level."

More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to the yearlong free educational program, WE Schools, which provides schools and community groups with curriculum, educational resources and action campaigns designed to enhance a school's existing social initiatives or spark new ones. WE Schools encourages students to further their curricular learning and develop life skills for success. Young people are challenged to research and make an impact on at least one local and one global issue, and are supported with curricular resources, service campaigns and mentorship programs to help them to become change-makers.

In the 2015/2016 school year, students and teachers from across Ontario participated in remarkable social change. More than 2,400 schools and groups in the province improved the world through WE Schools, volunteering almost 2 million hours and raising nearly $5 million in support of global issues and local causes including Fort McMurray wildfire relief, the welcoming and inclusion of Syrian refugees, reconciliation efforts and bringing awareness to mental health issues. As one example: Students at A.Y. Jackson Secondary School have made an impact at home by collecting household items to support a family of Syrian refugees who had just arrived in their community.

A global movement of 2.4 million young people strong, youth involved in the WE Movement have raised $62 million for more than 2,500 local and global organizations, volunteered 19.9 million hours for local and global causes and collected over 7.6 million pounds of food through service learning programs and campaigns.

You can't buy a ticket to WE Day -- students from across Canada earn their way with the actions they take on one local and one global cause of their choice. WE Day Ottawa is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance, thanks to the generous support of partners led by National Co-Title

Sponsors RBC and TELUS. RBC hopes to inspire every young Canadian to #Make150Count by celebrating the contributions and community spirit of our youth in recognition of Canada's 150th anniversary; TELUS supports the We give where we live® initiative, believing in the power of technology and communications to improve the lives of Canadians.

About WE Day

WE Day is part of WE -- a movement that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world. WE Day is the celebration of people coming together and filling stadiums around the globe to experience the greatest classroom in the world for a full day, live event. You can't buy a ticket to WE Day -- young people earn their entry by taking action on one local and one global cause. WE Day unites world-renowned speakers, presenters and award-winning performers with thousands of young people and families to celebrate and inspire another year of incredible change. This year alone over 200,000 young people will come together in 15 stadium gatherings across Canada, the U.S., and U.K. to take part in this unprecedented educational initiative.

WE Day is connected to the yearlong free educational program, WE Schools, which provides curriculum, educational resources and action campaigns to help students develop the leadership skills to succeed academically, in the workplace and as active citizens.

Join the WE movement today and learn more at WE.org

About RBC
www.rbc.com/we

About TELUS
www.telus.com/community