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Rideau Hall, Thursday, December 13, 2007 It gives Jean-Daniel and me great pleasure to spend the evening in the company of creators and ardent defenders of culture. It is always a joy to celebrate books and reading. What with the proliferation of mass technologies, some predicted that books would di...

Rideau Hall, Thursday, December 13, 2007 Jean-Daniel and I are pleased to welcome you to Rideau Hall. We see this institution as a place for dialogue, reflection and sharing. We want to throw its doors wide open to new ideas and current events, and for creative thought to flow through its historic h...

Rideau Hall, Monday, December 17, 2007 Welcome to Rideau Hall. It gives my husband, Jean-Daniel, and me great pleasure to welcome you to Rideau Hall as we approach a new year, a year full of celebrations. Two thousand and eight will mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City. It will ...

Art Matters Forum on the Occasion of the Presentationof the Governor General’s Literary Awards Rideau Hall, Thursday, December 13, 2007 The presentation of the Governor General’s awards is an opportunity to celebrate the talent of Canadian artists. For the past year, the Governor General and I, alon...

Recorded at Rideau Hall, Wednesday, December 5, 2007 Dear friends, As 2007 draws to a close, our thoughts turn to the New Year, a year filled with hopes and dreams. Our perspective must now encompass the whole world, and this openness requires even greater solidarity. This call for solidarity was on...

December 24, 2007 My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I were deeply saddened to learn of Oscar Peterson’s passing away. It was with much emotion that we saw the courage he evoked while on stage, even not that long ago, and in spite of his health problems. Having lived fifteen years in the same neighbo...

December 30, 2007 OTTAWA—My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Gunner Jonathan Dion, a soldier with the 5e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada, during his mission in Afghanistan. Gunner Dion responded to the call with incredible courage. He was convin...

December 31, 2007 The French language and culture first set down roots in this land—and in the hearts of those living here—four hundred years ago. Today, these roots cover an entire continent. The French language and culture blossomed and flourished here in the Americas and they became a means of ex...

Recorded at Rideau Hall, Friday, December 7, 2007 The French language and culture first set down roots in this land—and in the hearts of those living here—four hundred years ago. Today, these roots cover an entire continent. The French language and culture blossomed and flourished here in the Americ...