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Vancouver, Thursday, March 9, 2006 Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your symposium. I was hoping to meet with you during my first official visit to British Columbia as governor general. In my installation speech, I stressed that young people would be a priority for me and that I would help ...

March 2, 2006 “I was very sad to learn of the accident which claimed the life of Corporal Paul James Davis and injured seven others. My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I want to express our deepest sympathy to Cpl. Davis’ family, friends and colleagues. May we all take comfort in knowing that he se...

March 5, 2006 “It is with much sadness that I learned of the passing of Master Corporal Timothy Wilson, who succumbed earlier today to the injuries he sustained in Afghanistan on March 2, 2006. My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I would like to express our sincere condolences to MCpl Wilson’s famil...

Cuvée 2006 Gala March 4, 2006 I wish to tell you with all sincerity what a pleasure and an honour it is to be with you this evening, after two full days of visiting local vineyards and tasting Ontarian wines. I come from a culture of wine. During my formative years, the vine was as much a part of my...

March 7, 2006 “Today, while our laws guarantee equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities for women and men in every aspect of life, a gap persists. Wherever they are, whatever their nationality, race or culture, women continue to face serious problems, including violence and poverty. Even in ...

Victoria, Tuesday, March 7, 2006 I am delighted to begin my first official trip to Canada’s westernmost province here in the garden city of Victoria. Indeed, I am pledging to take advantage of your balmy climate and the opportunity my position affords me to meet with you as often as possible. Even i...

Victoria, Tuesday, March 7, 2006 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a great pleasure to start my first official visit to British Columbia here in Victoria, and I so appreciate the warmth—in every sense of the word!—of your welcome. It is easy to understand why, despite your distance from what is consider...

Esquimalt, Tuesday, March 7, 2006 It is a great thrill for me to join you here today. As your commander‑in‑chief—a role I am most honoured to perform—I understand that my participation in today’s rescue exercise is a unique privilege. I have the opportunity to experience something that is usually sh...

Victoria, Wednesday, March 8, 2006 Thank you for welcoming me here to City Hall, a place of gathering, dialogue and debate for the citizens of Victoria. I could not have chosen a better time or place to embark upon my first official visit to British Columbia. Spring is in the air, the trees in bloom...

Victoria, Wednesday, March 8, 2006 I would like to begin by telling you just how delighted I am to be here with you on International Women’s Day. It is our great privilege to be hosted by a woman who has paved the way in a number of fields, notably broadcasting and politics. In 2001, Iona Campagnolo...

Vancouver, Wednesday, March 8, 2006 I am delighted to be here with you to celebrate MOSAIC’s 30th anniversary on my first official visit to British Columbia. It is in the spirit of friendship that I speak to you today, because I have faced the same challenges you have faced: adapting to a different ...

Vancouver, Thursday, March 9, 2006 I am truly delighted to be here. And I wish to start by addressing a persistent rumour: You may have heard that I accepted the position of governor general because of the opportunity it would afford me to visit Vancouver more often. I cannot completely refute this ...

Vancouver, Thursday, March 9, 2006 It has been an extraordinary pleasure for me to spend the past three days experiencing the generous hospitality of British Columbians. The warmth of your climate is surpassed only by the welcome of your citizens. And loving Vancouver as I do, I hope not to wear out...

March 10, 2006 “It is a great pleasure for me to join with all Canadians in this year’s celebration of Commonwealth Day. The theme for 2006, “Health and Vitality—the Commonwealth Challenge”, is a test on both an individual and global scale. On a personal level, there is much we can do to improve our...

March 17, 2006 As you know, it is so important to me that we break down solitudes, regardless of which barriers stand in the way: age, gender, ethnicity, language, religion, poverty, to name but a few. Racism and discrimination, which continue to be problems in our society, sink their insidious root...

Ottawa, Monday, March 20, 2006 My friends, I use this word deliberately because I come to you as a friend. As I stand before you, I feel a kinship with you, with women of all backgrounds. I am particularly moved to be here with you today. As I recently stated at a luncheon organized in Victoria to c...

Rideau Hall, Wednesday, March 22, 2006 It is an honour for me and my husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, to welcome to Rideau Hall some of the greatest artists of our time. Particularly since this residence houses roughly one hundred works of art by Canadian painters and visual artists, past and present, w...

Presentation of the Governor General’s Awardsin Visual and Media Arts March 22, 2006 I believe that the 20th century was a century of unwavering barbarism. And as this new century dawns, it too is already characterized by barbarism: a modern barbarism, an industrialized barbarism, mass barbarism. Ye...

March 29, 2006 “Jean-Daniel Lafond and I were deeply saddened to learn of the attack which took the lives of Private Robert Costall, as well as an American soldier, and a number of our Afghani allies. Private Costall died defending his fellow soldiers, and will always be remembered for his bravery, ...