Michael Buble's emotional speech about his son diagnosed with cancer

Michael Buble gave a heartfelt speech about his family in his first public appearance since his young son was diagnosed with cancer.

The 41-year-old singer was presented with the National Arts Centre Award at the 2017 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards in Ottawa, Canada and paid a touching tribute to his loved ones, including wife Luisana Lopilato and their kids, three-year-old Noah - who was revealed to be battling liver cancer last November - and 17-month-old Elias.

He began his speech with a quote by the late Maya Angelou and said: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them."

He then added: "I think these words are a perfect description of how I've always felt as an artist and as a person, and the reason why we're here today. My entire life has been inspired by how my family has made me feel - my wife, my children, my parents, my sisters ...

"There are no words to describe how I feel about you. Sometimes 'I love you' just isn't enough because what I feel is so much more."

And the Haven't Met You Yet singer admitted he appreciated the honour even more during the "emotional and difficult" time he and his family have been going through.

He continued: "I stand here truly humbled that I have been allowed to be one of your musical representatives and that you would choose to bestow this honour upon me during what has been an emotional and difficult time for my family.

"I thank you for the love and support that you've given and for the pride I'm filled with every single time I'm able to stand on a stage and say, 'My name is Michael Steven Bublé and I'm Canadian.'"

Since Noah's diagnosis, the Feeling Good hitmaker has withdrawn from a number of high-profile outings such as his job hosting both the BRIT Awards - which was taken over by Dermot O'Leary and Emma Willis - and the Juno Awards, which were instead hosted by comedian Russell Peters and 'Run to You' hitmaker Bryan Adams.

A post shared by Michael Bublé (@michaelbuble) on Oct 16, 2016 at 7:25am PDT

Meanwhile, Noah's mother Luisana previously revealed her son is "well" following successful treatment at a hospital in Los Angeles.

Luisana - who has previously posted two statements on Facebook about her son's health - said: "Thank God, my son is well."

Luisana also admitted Noah faces a long recovery process, which will include regular check-ups.

But she said: "We are very happy. We are looking forward to thinking about the future, to seeing our children grow.

"Seeing Noah grow and being happy gave me the strength to return and finish this film [Those Who Love, Hate].

"My faith in the fact God had a miracle helped me. I became strong so my son would get better. I transmitted that to all my friends and family."

- Bang! Showbiz