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Declaration on the Occasion of the Inauguration of the 44thPresident of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama Rideau Hall, Tuesday, January 20, 2009 On March 21, 2007, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in this very place, at Rideau Hall, ...

Reception at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti Port-au-Prince, Friday, January 16, 2009 My husband Jean-Daniel and I are delighted to be back in Haiti. The country where I was born. The country where our daughter was born. The country that Jean-Daniel fell in love with, where he found inspiration as a f...

Presentation of Credentials (India,Portugal, Uruguay, Yemen) Rideau Hall, Wednesday, January 21, 2009 Excellencies, I am delighted to welcome you, your families and your delegations to Rideau Hall. As a new year dawns, we begin to look to the future. I recently returned from Haiti, where an already ...

Presentation of the Public Service of Canada Outstanding Achievement Award Rideau Hall, Friday, January 23, 2009 I am delighted to welcome you to Rideau Hall to pay tribute to three people—a woman and two men—who embody excellence within the Public Service of Canada, and because one woman is equal t...

Reception for the Diplomatic Corps Rideau Hall, Thursday, January 22, 2009 Welcome to Rideau Hall. I am delighted to welcome you at the start of a new year. We saw 2008 come to a close in the midst of crisis. An economic crisis, a food crisis, humanitarian crises brought about by natural disasters, ...

YMCA Fellowship of Honour Ceremony Ottawa, Tuesday, January 27, 2009 I am delighted to be here with you today. Thank you for such a warm welcome. We have come here to pay tribute to eight exceptional people for whom civic engagement can be summed up in four letters: YMCA. Four letters. Four letters ...

Order of Military Merit Investiture Ceremony Rideau Hall, Friday, January 30, 2009 Welcome to Rideau Hall, where we have gathered to recognize the exceptional service performed by 56 men and women who have chosen to don the uniform and who have had a distinguished career in the Forces. As commander-...

Presentation of Scrolls to New General and Flag Officers Rideau Hall, Thursday, February 5, 2009 It is a privilege for me to be a part of the extended Canadian Forces family and to assume the responsibilities conferred upon me as commander-in-chief. Working alongside our service women and men of eve...

Official Opening of Winterlude 2009 Ottawa, Friday, February 6, 2009 Once again, winter is acting very wintry and we are in the mood to celebrate as we launch Winterlude 2009 in Canada’s Capital Region! Skating on the Rideau Canal, admiring the ice sculptures, going tobogganing, exploring the ski tr...

Countdown to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver-Whistler Rideau Hall, Thursday, February 12, 2009 Hi, kids! Don’t you all look nice, with your eyes full of sunshine, your cheeks all red and your smiles from ear to ear! How are you? Are you having fun? Today, we are marking the countdown to t...

Presentation of Meritorious Service and Military Valour Decorations Rideau Hall, Friday, February 13, 2009 I am delighted to welcome to Rideau Hall men and women for whom service is synonymous with dedication and courage. We all know that military service rests on discipline and a sense of duty; tha...

Centennial Celebration of Canadian Aviation Ottawa, Monday, February 23, 2009 I had hoped to be in Baddeck today, but Canada being the northern country that it is, the weather conditions in Nova Scotia would not have allowed us to land. My thoughts and best wishes are with you and with everyone in B...

Order of Military Merit Investiture Ceremony Rideau Hall, Tuesday, February 24, 2009 Welcome to Rideau Hall. This morning has brought us together to honour exceptional military careers. Many years ago, you answered a call: to don the uniform and become a part of the extended Canadian Forces family. ...

Presentation of Credentials (United Mexican States, Malaysia,Republic of Seychelles, Republic of Cape Verde) Rideau Hall, Thursday, February 26, 2009 I am delighted to welcome you, your families and your delegations to Rideau Hall. These days, everyone seems to be talking about one form of crisis or...

Announcement of the Recipients of the 2009 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Toronto, Monday, March 2, 2009 My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I are so pleased to be here with you today. Jean-Daniel and I share the belief that art is in itself a lesson in freedom. A lesson in freedom that is ...

Launch of the Michaëlle Jean Chair in Caribbean and African Diasporic Studies Toronto, Monday, March 2, 2009 Today, we are launching a new Canadian chair in Caribbean and African diasporic studies at one of Canada’s flagship institutions of higher learning, the University of Alberta, which celebrate...

Youth Dialogue on Women Shaping Democracy Rideau Hall, Tuesday, March 3, 2009 It is so wonderful to see so many young people here who are committed to defending the full recognition of the rights of girls and women, particularly with International Women’s Day less than a week away. To mark the occas...

Art Matters Forum on Music Toronto, Monday, March 2, 2009 Welcome to this Art Matters forum on the music that brings us together, this time, in the heart of Toronto, a multicultural city like no other. Wherever there is music, walls come down, new possibilities are born, and hope is reignited in our...

International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment,Leadership Development, International Peace and Security Monrovia, Liberia, Saturday, March 7, 2009 International Women’s Day is a call for solidarity that each of us, here and elsewhere in the world, sends out to the four winds. Of course, in this cas...

Art Matters Forum on Music Toronto, Monday, March 2, 2009 This is the 35th Art Matters public forum, and for the first time we are holding it here in Toronto. During our travels through the provinces and territories of Canada and abroad, the Governor General and I like to hold such forums because th...