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Millarville, Friday, May 5, 2006 My daughter Marie-Éden and I have been looking forward to meeting you. We have already heard about you from your teachers, Loretta and Patti. The letters you sent us helped us to get to know you a little better. I read every one, and I must say, I was deeply touched....

Calgary, Friday, May 5, 2006 My husband Jean-Daniel and I are delighted that my first official visit to Alberta allowed us to be here with you this evening at a dinner hosted by Their Honours, Mary and Norman Kwong, during Asian Heritage month. Well before he ever became lieutenant governor, His Hon...

Rideau Hall, Friday, May 12, 2006 There are many elements that make Canada great—like its rich cultural diversity, its linguistic duality, and the strong sense of community that binds people together. However, there are three in particular that I would like to highlight today, and they are our count...

Montreal, Tuesday, May 2, 2006 I am deeply moved to be here with you today, to see old colleagues, friends, so many familiar faces. This celebration to mark World Press Freedom Day has a personal resonance for me. Allow me to explain as I take you back to my childhood for a moment. As a child, I lea...

Regina, Tuesday, May 9, 2006 Thank you for welcoming me into your community to witness the fruits of your efforts to revitalize North Central Regina. Your energy, commitment and resourcefulness are inspirational. I know first hand some measure of these challenges. The fear of not having a home to go...

Calgary, Saturday, May 6, 2006 My husband, Jean Daniel, and I would like to thank Mayor Bronconnier for his very warm welcome and in particular, for the honour of being White–Hatted by the City! We have been thrilled by the warmth of your welcome since our arrival. Yesterday, my husband, Jean-Daniel...

Regina, Monday, May 8, 2006 My husband Jean Daniel Lafond and I are delighted to begin our first official visit to Saskatchewan here in Regina. From where we stand today, it’s difficult to fathom how the expression “Pile of Bones” could ever have been an accurate description of this place. “Wascana”...

Qu’Appelle Valley, Tuesday, May 9, 2006 I am proud to be the first governor general to visit your community. My husband Jean-Daniel and I would like to thank you for this honour which we feel so deeply. In this building, reminiscent of a tepee, I can sense a feeling of peace and harmony. It is a uni...

Regina, Wednesday, May 10, 2006 Over the last few months, I have developed a strong appreciation for the RCMP above and beyond the iconic image the institution evokes in the minds of many people around the world. Whether it was during discussions with the officers who accompany me or in exchanges wi...

May 17, 2006 “It was with deep emotion that I learned, upon my return from Haïti, of the death of Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard in a firefight in Afghanistan earlier today. Captain Goddard’s death reminds us once again of the risks that our Canadian troops, both men and women, face every da...

Rideau Hall, Friday, May 19, 2006 As Chancellor of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, it is a distinct pleasure for me to invest 43 members of Canada’s Police Services as Officers and Members of this Order. This illustrious Order is a reflection of the great respect that Canadians have for the...

Regina, Monday, May 8, 2006 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you ever so kindly for the honour bestowed upon my husband and me. We are delighted to be here. And I am pleased and honoured to be addressing you today in this, the first year of Saskatchewan’s second century as a Canadian province. During o...

Halifax, Thursday, May 25, 2006 Thank you for welcoming me here this evening and for giving me the opportunity to talk to you about issues that are dear to my heart. You are the women and men who bring the world to Canadians every day across a wide range of media throughout this vast country of ours...

Halifax, Friday, May 26, 2006 Let me refer to your Dolphin Code to tell you right from the start: Dolphin Code 36 (Submariners are super). Thank you for introducing me to the fascinating world of submariners. I remember reading Jules Verne’s novels as a child and dreaming, like so many others, of on...

Regina, Monday, May 8, 2006 Thank you, Mr. Premier. By the time I complete my first official visit to Saskatchewan, I know I will have learned many things about your province and the wonderful people who thrive here. Already, I feel better equipped to share your story with the rest of the country th...

Rideau Hall, Friday, June 2, 2006 As many of you no doubt know, today is the anniversary of the Battle of Ridgeway (June 2, 1866). For any guests here today who might not be familiar with this event in Canadian history, it was an engagement fought near Fort Erie, Ontario, in 1866, pitting Fenian irr...

June 2, 2006 “To serve one’s country is a noble endeavour. And those who serve in our Canadian Forces demonstrate to all of us a profound belief in the values that we, as a society, hold dear—values of democratic freedom, human rights and a world free from tyranny. These courageous women and men hav...

Ottawa, Monday, June 5, 2006 Thank you for the great honour you do me in conferring upon me this honorary doctorate. I am especially moved because I learned at a very young age that acquiring knowledge was the best, if not the only way to escape misery. My father dedicated his life to teaching, and ...

Port-au-Prince, Saturday, May 13, 2006 It is such a great pleasure for me to be here with you today. I’m sure you can imagine the emotion I feel every time I return to Haiti. The smells, the faces, the landscapes remind me of my childhood and fill me with joy and just a little sadness. But this trip...

Port-au-Prince, Monday, May 15, 2006 I am so happy that we have this opportunity to talk. I believe that women have so much to teach. Because it was by participating in movements to fight violence against women in Quebec, Canada, that I learned so much. It was there that my view of society changed. ...