January 31, 2007

by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean

It is a tradition at Rideau Hall to celebrate winter at the beginning of February every year. Last year, we had trouble organizing events because of a lack of snow and ice. This year, we have our fingers crossed that we will be able to open the skating rink, especially since we had a green Christmas here in Ottawa. But of course, we weren’t the only ones.

Climate change seems to be on everyone’s mind. Nature is making herself heard and forcing us to take notice. Communities in the Far North, the Northwest Territories and the Arctic have been warning us for a while now that something is not right, and they are the ones suffering the real consequences of the melting ice caps. But this is more than just a debate between ecologists and scientists; this phenomenon affects us all and requires us to make changes on a daily basis.

Are you talking about it? What do you think? Has it changed how you live your life?