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Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, October 12, 2016 Good morning, everyone! I’d like to start with 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. There are plenty of articles, reports ...

October 13, 2016 Message from the Governor General Following the Death of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand OTTAWA—Sharon and I were saddened today to learn of the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. King Bhumibol had a long and truly remarkable 70-year reign, during which ...

October 18, 2016 Message from the Governor General on the Occasion of Persons Day OTTAWA—October 18 will always be an important date in Canadian history. It was on this day in 1929 that women were finally constitutionally recognized as “persons.” Because of the hard work of Emily Murphy, Louise McKi...

Rideau Hall, Wednesday, October 19, 2016 In Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below. Those words, written more than 100 years ago by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, bring ...

Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, October 20, 2016 I’d like to welcome all of you to this celebration of public service. In my role as governor general, I’ve had the chance to work closely with federal public servants for six years now. So I can say with certainty: people in my position cannot accomplish a...

Rideau Hall, Friday, October 28, 2016 Welcome, all of you, to Rideau Hall for this celebration of bravery. Seeing you here today, I am reminded of the story of “the wrong-way guy,” which is based on a photo that I saw during a visit to Saskatchewan early on in my mandate. The photo depicted an emerg...

Amman, Jordan, Sunday, October 30, 2016 Thank you for warmly welcoming our Canadian delegation—we are very pleased to be here. Canada is pleased to help support the strength and resilience of Jordanian communities. I am impressed by the efforts led by Jordan’s municipalities to respond to the influx...

Amman, Jordan, Sunday, October 30, 2016 Thank you for warmly welcoming our Canadian delegation to this business development centre. We’re delighted to join you for this important dialogue on opportunities for young entrepreneurs. I believe Canadians have much to offer when it comes to business and s...

Amman, Jordan, Monday, October 31, 2016 What a pleasure to be here with all of you in Amman. Canada greatly values its close friendship with Jordan. This is the first State visit to Jordan by a Canadian governor general. I am very pleased to be here to learn more about this country and further the f...

Amman, Jordan, Monday, October 31, 2016 How wonderful to be here in Amman among so many friends of Canada! Thank you for what you do for Canada, and for our friendship with Jordan. I’m very pleased to lead our delegation of outstanding Canadians to Jordan for this State visit. Since our arrival on S...

Jerusalem, Wednesday, November 2, 2016 I’d like to thank President Rivlin for inviting my wife, Sharon, and me for this State visit. I’m delighted to be the first governor general of Canada to visit Israel. On this trip, we are being joined by a number of talented and dedicated Canadians. We’re here...

Jerusalem, Wednesday, November 2, 2016 I’m honoured to be here to plant an olive tree in the Grove of Nations. To plant an olive tree is a symbolic gesture. It’s a sign of peace, of tranquility, of the end of hatred and strife. I’m reminded of one of my favourite proverbs, which states: Blessed is t...

Jerusalem, Wednesday, November 2, 2016 Thank you for such a warm welcome to Israel. Sharon and I have been looking forward to this State visit to Israel, particularly after meeting the highly-respected Shimon Peres during his own State visit to Canada in 2012. Mr. Peres was a friend of our country. ...

Haifa, Israel, Thursday, November 3, 2016 How wonderful to return to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology here in Haifa, and to be with all of you today. Thank you for honouring me with this doctorate. I accept on behalf of the people of Canada. I’m so very proud of the innovation links tha...

Ramallah, West Bank, Friday, November 4, 2016 What a pleasure to be here in Ramallah to reaffirm Canada’s friendship with the Palestinian people. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to President Abbas for welcoming my wife, Sharon, our Canadian delegation and me to the West Bank. I’m pro...

Ramallah, West Bank, Friday, November 4, 2016 What a pleasure to be here in Ramallah among so many friends of Canada! Thank you all for being here. And thank you for what you do to advance the friendship between the Canadian and Palestinian people. Thank you for what you do to help ordinary people w...

Bethlehem, West Bank, Saturday, November 5, 2016 Thank you for warmly welcoming our Canadian delegation—we are delighted to visit the beautiful campus of Bethlehem University. Having spent much of career as a leader of several Canadian universities, I have always believed that universities must supp...

Rideau Hall, Monday, November 7, 2016 Sharon and I are so pleased to welcome Your Royal Highnesses to Rideau Hall and to Canada. We’re delighted to see you and the entire Norwegian delegation visiting our country. I’m also pleased we took a moment to visit the red oak tree planted on the Rideau Hall...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, November 8, 2016 I’m delighted to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall. What a great day to celebrate and promote healthy living through sport and smarter living through education. Each of you strives to find a balance between higher education and competitive sports. You know that...

Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, November 9, 2016 Good morning WE Day family!! Thank you for such a warm welcome! We just saw the stories of six remarkable Canadians. All of you have several things in common with them. You all have a great story to tell! In fact, your stories contribute to community buil...