Reception for Visiting Heads of State and
Heads of Government

Vancouver, Friday, February 12, 2010

President Saakashvili, it was with profound sadness that my husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, our daughter Marie-Éden, and I learned of the tragic death of the 21 year-old Georgian luge athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvili, who passed away following a crash at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

I join all Canadians in expressing our deepest sympathies to his family, his loved ones, his friends, trainers and all his team, who accompanied him for years and who know how much participating in these Games was the fulfilment of a life-long dream.

We can only imagine how painful this terrible loss is to all of them.

And this tragic accident has of course touched the hearts of all the people of Georgia, who were cheering him on every step of the way.

Last fall, the Olympic torch was raised in Olympia according to tradition, and I took part in the ceremony at the stadium in Athens to pass the Olympic flame to the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

And so began the Olympic flame’s long journey to Canada, where it was carried and welcomed from place to place, from city to city, from coast to coast in our vast country, with tremendous enthusiasm throughout the longest torch relay in history.

And it is precisely in this spirit of fellowship that Canada is proud to welcome you today.

For we would like to make this great winter gathering not only an opportunity for our athletes to excel, or to share with our artists, but also, and above all— as Pierre de Coubertin envisioned—a celebration of solidarity among peoples.

Very few events have this power to bring the world together and honour the best in us.

It is for this reason that Canada has sought to build upon these ideals by celebrating the ancient tradition of the Olympic Truce, for which I accepted to be honorary patron during this year’s Games.

Even in its most contemporary form, the Truce is anchored in the ancient belief that humanity is linked in a cosmic circle of interdependence that connects our every gesture and thought to the creative force of the universe.

For this reason, it urges us to work tirelessly to illuminate the world with the radiant values of peace, inclusion and solidarity—values that are at the core of the Olympic ideal.

As I was reminded yesterday, when I engaged in a conversation with over five hundred young indigenous and non-indigenous leaders during a dynamic dialogue on building mutual understanding, the world is yearning for change.

Not any kind of change.

No.

We are longing for a change that can break the shackles of discrimination, exclusion and poverty.

A change that can release us from the yoke of the “fend for yourself” mentality.

A change that can uplift us in our global quest for a world in which everyone, everywhere can achieve their highest potential.

The world is really yearning for a change that we can all believe in.

So under the aegis of the Olympic spirit of fellowship, respect and fraternity, let us stand together, in this place where Aboriginal peoples planted our deepest roots on this continent, and who are proud, full-fledged partners in the organization of these games.

Let us stand together alongside the athletes who have come from all corners of the globe to give the best of themselves.

Let us stand together for our deepest and most precious dream: a better world.

The Olympic Games offer us a unique opportunity to marvel and wonder before the sheer scope of our possibilities, and the grandeur of what we can achieve.

Thanks to all of you for joining in our celebration of excellence and of our deep-rooted ties of fraternity.

Thank you so much for standing together with Canadians as the long-awaited Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games are about to begin!