Reception Hosted by the Ambassador of Canada to the Kingdom of Norway

Oslo, Norway, Wednesday, April 29, 2009

My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond, the Canadian delegation accompanying us and I would like to express our heartfelt thanks for joining us here this evening, in this magical place.

Looking around, I see a marvellous illustration of the skill and ingenuity of our Norwegian hosts, who transformed an industrial space into a place dedicated to emerging forms of artistic expression.

This transformation has been a kind of metamorphosis, blending the past and the present, reinvention and celebration.

A source of warmth, light and beauty from which we can draw inspiration at this time when solidarity between peoples is more vital than ever.

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highness, we could not have hoped for a more appropriate setting in which to express to you our gratitude for having opened the doors of Norwegian society to us during this State visit.

We are also grateful that you have so gladly and so generously agreed to accompany us on many of our encounters—forums, discussions with the people, the citizens, at the youth dialogue then at the Art Matters Forum—including those that will take us to the city that is furthest north of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø.

It is true that Canada and Norway share a northern geography and a passion for winter.

I believe that Norway and Canada were able to convey that passion to the entire world during the Olympic Winter Games held in Oslo in 1952, Calgary in 1988, and Lillehammer in 1994.

Norwegian friends, Canada is preparing to host the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in February and March 2010, in Vancouver, and we are counting on you to be there, not only because of your athletic excellence, but to make this global gathering a celebration of fellowship.

Because in these uncertain times, it may be worthwhile to remember that the modern Olympic spirit, as Pierre de Coubertin envisioned it, seeks to blend “sport with culture and education” and to promote “a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.”

Indeed, culture and sport are both opportunities to excel and to enrich life with our unique contributions.

They remind us of the very best in each of us: that thirst for the absolute that drives us to give our all, to achieve our dreams and to push tirelessly past the bounds of our limits.

It is in this spirit that a rich cultural program will be added to the athletic competitions and that Vancouver and all of Canada will be welcoming athletes, artists, dignitaries and spectators from everywhere in the world.

Your Majesties, dear friends, tonight is the chance for us to thank you, to invite you to join us in Vancouver in 2010, and, most of all, to celebrate the unbreakable bonds of friendship between Canada and Norway.

Thank you so much for such a wonderful welcome. We look forward to creating together, like this space, new ways to express the many ties that bind our peoples.