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December 28, 2008 OTTAWA— Still reeling from the shock of yesterday’s announcement, we have received further heart-wrenching, painful news today, again from Afghanistan. It was with great sorrow that we learned that Warrant Officer Gaétan Roberge, from the 2nd Battalion, The Irish Regiment of Canada...

The Citadelle, Sunday, October 19, 2008 I have just spoken with the Secretary General of La Francophonie, President Abdou Diouf, who is at this moment confined to bed, a result of the fatigue and stress of the past few days, he said. He had been looking forward to hearing and receiving in person the...

Rideau Hall, Monday, September 15, 2008 It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Rideau Hall, particularly since Canada, as you know, is in the midst of exercising one of the fundamentals of democracy. The election campaign is in full swing. You will have a front‑row seat for debates on issues t...

“Multicultural Dialogue” Conference on the Integrationof Minorities in the Urban Centres Prague, Tuesday, December 2, 2008 My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I are delighted to join you this morning as you reflect on the challenges posed by diversity in the Czech Republic. Many of the issues you ar...

City of Québec, Monday, August 11, 2008 Let me begin by saying a big thank you to all of you. Thank you to Peace Child International. Thank you to ReGeneration 2008. And thank you to you, the youth, for presenting me with this award, which is a great honour to me. Truly. I was born in a country in w...

Rideau Hall, Friday, February 22, 2008 My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I are delighted to welcome you here to Rideau Hall to recognize the excellence you have come to embody in our society. Forty-one years ago, Prime Minister Lester Pearson founded the Order of Canada to commemorate this country’s...

Kitchener, Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Thank you for your kind invitation to be with you today. Let me first pay a tribute to the famous French philosopher, Simone de Beauvoir, who would have been a hundred years old this year. I still remember how eager my mother was to introduce me to The Second Se...

Rideau Hall, Friday, February 29, 2008 As I read today’s citations, it occurred to me that reality can sometimes be more powerful than fiction. Books, movies and television often endow heroes with powers that others do not have. They can fly through the air, possess superhuman strength, see through ...

March 2, 2008 We are very saddened to learn that Canadian Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), based out of Edmonton, Alberta, died today near Kandahar while taking part in a re-supply operation. His team is in shock at having lost such a highly regarded m...

Niagara, Friday, February 29, 2008 It was with great pleasure and indeed conviction that I welcomed Jean‑Daniel’s proposal to create an award celebrating the nation’s table. Not just because the table serves as a meeting place, bringing people together, as Jean-Daniel has just reminded us. But becau...

Cuvée 2008 Niagara, Friday, February 29, 2008 A friend of mine is a chef. He was born in Europe but chose to live in Canada over 20 years ago. Once a month, he invites a few friends and other guests to join him around his table. They come from vastly different backgrounds, their origins as diverse a...

Rideau Hall, Wednesday, March 5, 2008 I would like to share with you my great admiration for the work you do every day for the benefit of all Canadians. I want you to know how grateful we are for your dedication, your sense of duty and your professionalism. I believe it is important that we recogniz...

March 7, 2008 OTTAWA—Simone de Beauvoir would have been 100 years old this year. What a wonderful opportunity for us to measure the progress we have made since this committed woman published the iconic book that forever changed the way we see women’s roles in society. Not only did The Second Sex ope...

Toronto, Friday, March 7, 2008 If you only knew how much I have been looking forward to joining you this evening. Particularly since the theme you have chosen this year has given me hope that we will unite voices, knowledge, hearts and minds. I would like to take this opportunity to salute the Métis...

Toronto, Saturday, March 8, 2008 I cannot begin to tell you how important it is for me to celebrate International Women’s Day with you. Women of the First Nations, women of the Métis and Inuit peoples, permit me to call you my sisters. Because I truly believe that we are all sisters. From us, as wom...

March 10, 2008 On this Commonwealth Day, I join Canadians across the country in reflecting upon our history and the ties that we share with our partners in 52 countries around the world. I have spoken a great deal during my mandate of breaking down the solitudes that exist between Canadians, but it ...

March 11, 2008 OTTAWA—It was with great sadness that my husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I learned of the death of Bombardier Jérémie Ouellet, of the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, stationed at Shilo, in Manitoba. The mission being carried out by our soldiers in Afghanistan is in many re...

March 17, 2008 OTTAWA—My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I are deeply saddened to learn that Sergeant Jason Boyes from the Second Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based out of Shilo, Manitoba, died in Afghanistan, while on patrol. This is a very painful reminder of the dange...

Latin America Film Festival 2008 March 19, 2008 A WONDERFUL GIFT! I would first like to say that as a filmmaker, and also as the husband and special collaborator of the Governor General of Canada, I am pleased and honoured to preside over this Latin American Film Festival. This is a unique event bec...

March 20, 2008 We came from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. We enriched Canada with our accents and our contributions. We are privileged to have roots that run deep in these vast lands that were home to the Aboriginal people who welcomed us. And in return, we were given a country of unlimite...