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The Citadelle, Friday, May 30, 2008
The Citadelle is abuzz with excitement, ready to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the City of Québec. The grounds are shaking off their winter slumber, the river is thundering along in the light of the day, and it is with great joy that my husband Jean‑Daniel Lafond and I welcome you here this morning.
I would also like to welcome the Grand Chancellor of the Légion d’honneur and the President of the Ordre national du Québec council, who are joining us for this ceremony.
General Kelche, Mr. Voyer, we are honoured by your presence here today, for it stands as a powerful testament to the bonds of friendship that unite us on both sides of the Atlantic.
The exhibit being unveiled this morning invites us to journey back in time.
This journey is vital if we are to understand who we are and where we come from. To understand the place we hold in the world and the responsibility we have to make it a better place.
As soon as we realize that we are part of history, that we are not only witnesses to it but active players, we come to understand that each and every one of us has the power to change its course.
That is just what the women and men being honoured in this exhibit did.
Their unique adventure shaped the history of the City of Québec.
And it is that history that we are retracing, following the course of their lives and seeing how each connects to the other.
From Frontenac to Max Gros-Louis, from Félix Leclerc to Robert Lepage, from Gisèle Lamoureux to Sister Cécile Coulombe, this exhibit covers four centuries of altruism, commitment, innovation and excellence.
Four centuries under different regimes and governments, represented here by French, British, Québécois and Canadian honours.
Four centuries recalled by another section of the exhibit featuring flags and coats of arms that relate in images and colours the history of the City of Québec and Canada.
Flags, arms and insignia that today are part of Canada’s Honours System.
We could not have found a more fitting way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
This exhibit is responding to a growing need that the young and young at heart have been feeling in a world where, too often, history is forgotten.
It is a vital need to recognize the women and men who inspire us and who embody an ideal for which we can all strive.
The need is universal, ageless.
Do you know why?
Because these women and men whom we admire and honour instill in us a sense of pride, daring, and the desire to reach our full potential and live out our dreams.
They have become symbolic.
Symbolic of the very best in all of us, of our deepest aspirations, individually and collectively.
This exhibit is a tribute to the women and men who built the City of Québec brick by brick and who made it something we can all be proud of and celebrate on this 400th anniversary of its foundation.
I would have loved for our great friend Michel Tétu, former president of the Association canadienne des membres de l’Ordre National du Mérite, to have been here with us today. He was so enthusiastic about this idea and now, at his urging, it has become a reality.
Two distinguished women then took the reins and worked tirelessly to put this exhibit together: Emmanuelle Sajous, Deputy Secretary at the Chancellery and Deputy Herald Chancellor, and Claire Boudreau, Chief Herald of Canada and Director of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, along with their teams at the Chancellery.
Thank you to all of the partners, the Musée national de la Légion d’honneur et des ordres de la chevalerie, the Secrétariat de l’Ordre national du Québec, the Association des membres de l’Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur, the Association canadienne des membres de l’Ordre National de Mérite, and the Ceremonial Office in London, England, who collaborated on this project. May it prove to be a tremendous success!