Search

The Citadelle, Tuesday, May 27, 2008 What a pleasure it is to welcome you to the Residence of the Governor General at the Citadelle, as we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the City of Québec. You know, it takes time for a house to have a soul. It is as though time itself leaves beh...

The Citadelle, Thursday, May 29, 2008 I think you will agree: one need only look out from high atop the western bank of the Cap-aux-Diamants promontory to understand why Frontenac chose to build a redoubt on this site. The role that this military structure played in the city’s defence strategy is ob...

The Citadelle, Friday, May 30, 2008 The Citadelle is abuzz with excitement, ready to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the City of Québec. The grounds are shaking off their winter slumber, the river is thundering along in the light of the day, and it is with great joy that my husban...

Rideau Hall, Wednesday, May 21, 2008 It is a pleasure to welcome you here to Rideau Hall, and to Canada, at this time of year, when the residence gardens are in bloom, reawakening after a long winter. This morning, we welcome the Ambassador of El Salvador, the Ambassador of Equatorial Guinea, the Hi...

The Citadelle, Friday, May 30, 2008 Jean-Daniel and I are delighted to welcome you here to the Citadelle. As we open the annual Conference of Lieutenant-Governors and Commissioners, and before we get down to work, it gives us tremendous pleasure to be able to celebrate with you the artistic talent o...

June 2, 2008 I am pleased to send my warmest greetings to all of the women and men currently serving at home and abroad today, on Canadian Forces Day. Today’s young Canadians are driven by a powerful sense of compassion and a broad view of our global community. Rather than merely observe, the women ...

June 3, 2008 OTTAWA—My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I have just learned of the death of Captain Richard (Steve) Leary of the Second Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Manitoba. We are saddened by this tragic news. Captain Leary lost his life while on patrol ...

January 7, 2008 OTTAWA — My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I were deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of Warrant Officer Hani Massouh and of Corporal Éric Labbé, both from the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, based out of Valcartier, during a tragic accident southwest of Kandahar City, in Afg...

Toronto, Saturday, January 12, 2008 We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of a man who has touched the hearts and minds of audiences around the world. Touted as the “Maharajah of the keyboard,” Oscar Peterson has left an indelible mark on the cultural heritage of the entire world. Whether...

January 15, 2008 OTTAWA — It was with great sadness that my husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I heard of the death of Trooper Richard Renaud, whose vehicle hit an improvised explosive device during a patrol north of Kandahar City. He will be sorely missed by all of his colleagues from the 12e Régimen...

Calgary, Thursday, January 17, 2008 I am delighted to be here with you today. This centre bears the name of a great man, George McDougall. Reverend McDougall had a hand in the efforts to colonize Western Canada, being both considerate of and respectful to those who called the land “home” long before...

Calgary, Friday, January 18, 2008 Each of us carries the seeds for a rich and full life. Sometimes, all it takes is a helping hand or a kind and gentle word for those seeds to begin to germinate, when once they were thought dead, and for the harvest to be abundant. Every word counts, every action ma...

Calgary, Friday, January 18, 2008 It is a pleasure for my husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I to be here with you. This evening, within these walls of the Glenbow Museum, we find ourselves immersed in the universe of Emily Carr, a woman and an artist of great depth who uncovered the beauty of our wil...

Calgary, Saturday, January 19, 2008 Good afternoon and welcome to this instalment of Art Matters, created as a forum for dialogue and reflection. My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I are thrilled to welcome artists, patrons, business people, decision makers and the citizens of Calgary interested in...

January 18, 2008 OTTAWA—My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, our daughter, Marie-Éden, and I join with all Canadians in sending our very best wishes to Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands on the occasion of her 65th birthday. Canada and the Netherlands have long shared a close relatio...

Art Matters Forum at the High Performance Rodeo Calgary, Saturday, January 19, 2008 I am delighted to be back in Calgary to continue this collective dialogue about culture in a city that is experiencing an unprecedented economic boom. This notion of examining the present and future of a city, in whi...

January 24, 2008 OTTAWA—My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I were saddened to learn of the death of Corporal Étienne Gonthier of the 5e Régiment du génie, when the vehicle he was in rolled over yet another of those deadly explosive devices that continue to claim lives in Afghanistan. Two more of ou...

Vancouver, Wednesday, January 23, 2008 My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I are delighted to be able to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Order of Canada with you during our visit to Vancouver. One of my goals for this anniversary year is to highlight the Order of Canada, its members and their ...

Vancouver, Thursday, January 24, 2008 How are you doing? I must begin by thanking you for such a warm welcome here this evening. It is an honour for me and my husband Jean-Daniel to be back here in the Downtown Eastside to celebrate with you the first anniversary of the Governor General’s Urban Arts...

Ottawa, Friday, February 1st, 2008 How are you? Last year, we were a little short on snow, but this year, it looks like we’ve more than made up for it! Personally, I think winter should look like winter! Don’t you? What matters most is that we remain warm in our hearts. My daughter Marie-Éden and I ...