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December 5, 2006 “The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, is a call for action to all of us to eliminate all forms of discrimination towards women and to bring together women and men in the name of equality. The commemora...

Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, December 5, 2006 I would like to begin on a personal note, and say how meaningful it is for me to be here in South Africa. For as long as I can remember, I have looked forward to the day when I could make a pilgrimage to the cradle of humanity, this land of freedom. ...

Rideau Hall, Wednesday, December 13, 2006 I have just returned from a great adventure in the birthplace of civilization. In Africa, every thing I saw, every conversation I had, every person I met, everything I did, every sunset, was a story I wanted to tell. I wanted to tell these stories to preserv...

Presentation of the Governor General's Literary Awards Rideau Hall, Wednesday, December 13, 2006 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Last month, in conjunction with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, we held the first installment of Art Matters – Le Point des arts. Over two days, 30 audiovisual and n...

Rideau Hall, Friday, December 15, 2006 My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I are delighted to welcome you all to Rideau Hall for this ceremony to recognize excellence in our society. I have just returned from my first State visit, during which I went to five African countries: Algeria, Mali, Ghana, So...

Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, December 7, 2006 I’m sure we all know someone living under the Sword of Damocles that is diabetes. The strict diet; the monitoring of blood sugar levels and the injections; the constant fear of blindness or the possibility of amputation. Diabetes diminishes the qua...

Casablanca, Morocco, Saturday, December 9, 2006 It is wonderful to be here with you. This is my first visit among our deployed forces. I think it is fitting that this inaugural visit is on one of Canada’s finest destroyers. The presence of this ship here in Casablanca, your participation in NATO exe...

Recorded at Rideau Hall, Wednesday, December 20, 2006 Dear friends, Let me start by looking back at 2006, beginning with the year’s most recent events. I have just returned from my first State visit as governor general of Canada. I crossed the African continent from Algeria, Mali and Ghana to South ...

Pretoria, South Africa, Wednesday, December 6, 2006 When we think of South Africa, Soweto is always engraved in our memory as Canadians. Soweto where Archbishop Desmund Tutu and Nelson Mandela lived and inspired a whole generation. It’s good to be here with you. It is an honour. I like to think of m...

December 1, 2006 by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean My journey across Africa follows the circuit of hope that I chose to counteract the bleak outlook we often pin on this continent, an outlook that focuses exclusively on tragedies. Yes, there are enormous challenges, and many realities are troubling; ...

December 8, 2006 by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean Barely 12 years ago, it would have been impossible for me, even as Governor General of Canada, to walk freely, to sit on a bench in public, or to enter certain buildings in South Africa. At that time, if you were black, “coloured,” or of Indian desce...

December 12, 2006 by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean When we left Cape Town in South Africa for Casablanca in Morocco—from the southern tip of Africa to the Maghreb—we could not help but think of the world we were flying over, this continent of a thousand contrasts, where hundreds of cultures derived ...

December 21, 2006 by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean Throughout the entire African trip, from the northern edge of the Sahara to the southern tip, we were very conscious of the fact that we were crossing an enormous continent, one that is rich in contrasts and human history, and especially rich in a p...

December 27, 2006 by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean Citizen Voices has been on line for three months now. We started with an initial chat discussion, followed by 30 blogs and 45 discussion forums on various themes, several of which were inspired by your own initiatives. The State visit to Africa was ...

December 5, 2006 by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean This year marks 100 years of Canadian presence in Ghana. Africa’s white fathers arrived in Navrongo in 1906. But it was not until 1957, when Ghana achieved independence, that co-operation between Canada and this West African country really picked up ...