A Montreal audience sat on the edges of their seats Friday, hooked on former U.S. President Bill Clinton's every word.
He spoke of his philanthropic exploits and called for action on world hunger as he accepted an honorary law degree from McGill University.
Clinton even touched on the delicate issue of national unity.
"You even have votes occasionally about whether you want to be together. I'm glad you didn't get a divorce by the way," he said with a laugh.
He also told the Canadian audience that health-care reform is inevitable, because there is widespread demand for change to a U.S. system that is financial unsustainable.
"The problem with countries like ours is we cling to yesterday's way of doing things in the face of tomorrow's realities. The problem with really poor places is the lack of capacity to build the structures which we take for granted," he told the crowd.
University officials say they did not pay a fee to bring the high-priced public speaker to the event and that it was arranged by an alumnus and close personal friend of the former president.
He is the second American president to get prestigious title after Franklin D. Roosevelt received the degree along with former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1944 at the height of World War II.
With files from The Canadian Press
