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June 21, 2010
Message from Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, on the occasion of National Aboriginal Day
As I see it, their cultures form the very foundation of our national identity. The Inuit, Métis and First Nations communities that have welcomed me into their midst have all demonstrated a keen desire to transcend the losses of the past and a true willingness to write a new page of history that unites and uplifts us all. As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission conducts its cross-Canada tour, which began last week in Winnipeg, collecting the testimony of Indian residential school survivors, we have an opportunity to confront certain aspects of this dark and painful chapter in our collective history in order to go forward together, Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals, as brothers and sisters united.
We recently saw a beautiful example of this will to move forward in a spirit of sharing and openness during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, where together we experienced wonderful moments of pride. This was, indeed, the first time that the International Olympic Committee considered Aboriginal peoples as official partners of the Games. On that occasion, I met with youth and seniors who impressed me with their message of hope and their ability to take up the challenges they face. They have quite clearly started along the path toward renewal and unity, and they look to the future with confidence.
On this National Aboriginal Day, let us draw inspiration from the wisdom of the people who first inhabited this vast territory that we share and who represent our deepest roots in this country. Let us seize the opportunity that lies before us to celebrate, one and all, the incalculable richness of a culture and heritage reaching back thousands of years.
Michaëlle Jean
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National Aboriginal Day is on June 21, 2010.
Media information:
Annabelle Cloutier
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-993-8158
acloutier@gg.ca
www.gg.ca