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Ottawa, Wednesday, November 7, 2007 How are you? I am overjoyed to be here at Club SAW and SAW Gallery, in front of some of the most creative minds of Ottawa and Gatineau. Let me begin by telling you that when I became governor general of Canada, I was determined to help give a voice to young Canadi...

Rideau Hall, Thursday, November 8, 2007 For months, every time my husband and I looked up to catch a glimpse of the sky, you were there, on the scaffolding and on the roof, no matter the temperature, no matter the weather. We have watched your tireless work for over a year now; workers, masons, scul...

November 9, 2007 We shall remember once again this year, and in so doing give meaning to the poppy we wear over our hearts. This gesture, which we make every November 11th, reminds us of the incredible sacrifice made by thousands of men and women, driven solely by the conviction that peace and freed...

Rideau Hall, Friday, November 9, 2007 Most of you were very young when you answered the call and donned the uniform; you were 18, maybe 20 years old. The choice you made was a difficult one; it required you to make a full commitment and to accept, deep down, that you were making the ultimate sacrifi...

Rideau Hall, Sunday, November 11, 2007 Welcome to Rideau Hall on this National Remembrance Day. Today we remember all of those soldiers, young and not-so-young, men and women, who gave their lives for freedom during one of the most violent centuries of our history. Last Friday, at the Order of Milit...

Toronto, Thursday, November 15, 2007 My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I wanted to be here to celebrate 40 years of French theatre in Toronto. Toronto. Canada’s largest city. And because it is very much a global city, it is at the crossroads of all the world’s trends and all its influences. At the h...

Ottawa, Friday, November 16, 2007 Let me begin by congratulating you and all your members on the 75th anniversary of the CDA, the Conference of the Defence Associations. The Vimy Award, created sixteen years ago by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (CDAI), has special significance thi...

November 17, 2007 OTTAWA—My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I were deeply saddened to learn of the recent deaths of two soldiers Corporal Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp, 5e Ambulance de campagne, and Private Michel Jr. Lévesque, 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Regiment, both based out of Valcartier, Quebec, as ...

November 19, 2007 My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I are pleased to join with all Canadians in extending our warmest wishes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on the occasion of their 60th wedding anniversary. Canadians are proud of the strong ties we s...

November 29, 2007 My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of the Right Honourable Antonio Lamer, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Justice Lamer was a respected member of the legal profession who had tremendous respect for individual freedo...

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...

November 15, 2007 by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean Celebrating art as a means of action! The urban arts forums that we have organized across the country and on State visits have all been real and intense events. And it was the same in Ottawa, where over 150 people—mostly young, committed artists—gat...