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Rideau Hall, Wednesday, May 27, 2015 Your Majesties, it is a great honour for Sharon and me to welcome you and the members of your delegation to Canada. We are so pleased to see you again, and to have this opportunity to return the warm hospitality that you and the Dutch people offered us during our...

­­­­Toespraak door Zijne Excellentie de Edelachtbare David Johnston naar aanleiding van het staatsdiner aangeboden aan Hunne Majesteiten Koning Willem-Alexander en Koningin Máxima der Nederlanden Rideau Hall, Woensdag, 27 mei 2015 Majesteiten, het is voor Sharon en mij een zeer grote eer u en de led...

Rideau Hall, Friday, May 29, 2015 I am so pleased to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall for this celebration of artistic excellence. Let me start by asking: do you remember your first exposure to the world of performing arts? Was it marvelling at the wonders of Mr. Dressup’s Tickle Trunk? Was it look...

Ottawa, Ontario, Saturday, May 30, 2015 This is the fifth time I’ve had the privilege of presenting the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards to some of Canada’s greatest artistic talents. I’m deeply honoured to pay tribute to these Canadian heroes. It takes a special kind of person to perform s...

Rideau Hall, Monday, June 1st, 2015 It’s a pleasure to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall, home of the people of Canada. During your tenures, all of you will contribute to our strong diplomatic community, while at the same time finding ways to bolster our ties. Ambassador Jo, you are no stranger to t...

Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, June 1, 2015 Thank you for your warm welcome. I’m delighted to be here to talk about innovation in learning and in the humanities and social sciences. Many of you will know that one of the great privileges I have as governor general comes in recognizing the extraordinary ach...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Welcome all of you to Rideau Hall. This send-off for heads of mission is a long-standing tradition here at Rideau Hall. A way to say thank you for your service and to wish you bon voyage as you leave Canada to take up postings around the world. Whenever I’ve travel...

Rideau Hall, Wednesday, June 3, 2015 Allow me to begin by acknowledging that this ceremony is taking place on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Nation. A moment like this arises very rarely in a country’s history. This is a moment for national reflection and introspection. This is a moment ...

June 6, 2015 Message from the Governor General of Canada on the Occasion of National Health and Fitness Day OTTAWA— I am delighted to celebrate National Health and Fitness Day which will henceforth be held each year on the first Saturday in June. Regular physical activity has tangible benefits for t...

Ottawa, Ontario, Friday, June 5, 20155 I’m so pleased to join you here to bring to a close the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference. After two solid weeks of travelling across Canada, meeting with so many people and working together alongside your colleagues, you are no doubt looking fo...

Rideau Hall, Friday, June 5, 2015 It’s always a pleasure to welcome the Canadiana Fund board members to Rideau Hall. As you know, Sharon and I are delighted to open our doors to Canadians. We’ve held concerts and movie nights. We’ve honoured bravery and service, artistic endeavours and volunteerism....

June 7, 2015 Message from the Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, on the Occasion of the Canadian Armed Forces Day OTTAWA—From the outset of my mandate, I have been deeply honoured to serve as commander-in-chief of Canada. I am delighted to be able to celebrate Canadian Armed Forces D...

Rideau Hall, Monday, June 8, 2015 It’s a pleasure to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall today. You’re here because you have proven yourselves to be the embodiment of service. Service to others. Service to your colleagues in the Canadian Armed Forces. Service to your country. Service underlines everyt...

Toronto, Ontario, Monday, June 8, 2015 Thank you for your warm welcome. I’m delighted to be here to welcome the Social Impact Investment Taskforce to Canada for the first time! This truly is a special moment for all of you who understand the wonderful potential of impact investment to change our wor...

Ottawa, Tuesday, June 9, 2015 Good morning, everyone! I’d like to start by posting a question: Are we innovative, or aren’t we? As Canadians, I mean. Is this a nation of innovators, or is it not? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a different answer. The World Economic Forum, for example, says Can...

Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 Sharon and I are so pleased to join you here today to open the Families in Canada Conference 2015, hosted by the Vanier Institute of the Family, and to help mark the 50th anniversary of the Institute. What is family? There’s no one definition of family—in fa...

Toronto, Ontario, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 What a pleasure it is to return to this hub of innovation in Toronto—the 2014 Intelligent Community of the Year! This truly is one of the world’s great cities, and that didn’t happen by accident. So let me congratulate everyone who was involved in the effor...

June 14, 2015 Message from the Governor General of Canada on the Occasion of National Public Service Week OTTAWA—I am delighted to mark National Public Service Week and to highlight the tremendous work of our public servants across Canada and around the world. A strong public service, one that is me...

Rideau Hall, Thursday, June 18, 2015 I’d like to begin by saying how pleased Sharon and I are to have Mrs. Diana Michener Schatz and her husband, Ray Schatz, with us this evening. It was Diana’s father, Roland Michener, who inaugurated this award for outstanding public service journalism 45 years ag...