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April 22, 2014 Message from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, on the Occasion of Earth Day OTTAWA—Since its inception over two decades ago, Earth Day has been adopted by countries around the world. Its message transcends borders, politics and dogma. It c...

Rideau Hall, Thursday, April 24, 2014 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY There is no identifiable scale to measure a person’s bravery. It is intangible, invisible. And yet, when it is seen, out in the open, through actions and deeds, bravery becomes very recognizable indeed. All of you are here because you have...

April 27, 2014 Message from the Governor General of Canada on the Occasion of Holocaust Memorial Day OTTAWA—When diversity is stamped out and eliminated in the vilest way possible, we all pay the price. During the Holocaust, Jewish people were treated as less than human. Entire families and communit...

Rideau Hall, Monday, April 28, 2014 On behalf of me and my wife, Sharon, I would like to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall, the home of hte people of Canada, on this wonderful morning! It’s taken a while, but I think spring has finally taken hold of our nation’s capital, and what better way to celeb...

Los Angeles, California, Monday, April 28, 2014 I am pleased to be here with you this evening. Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve, for hosting us here at the official residence of Canada. One of the reasons I am here in Los Angeles this week is to take part in the Milken Global Conference, in which Canada pl...

Los Angeles, California, Tuesday, April 29, 2014 Thank you for your warm welcome. I would like to begin by offering you best wishes on behalf of all Canadians. It truly is a privilege to be the first governor general of Canada to visit California, and to be given the opportunity to speak to faculty,...

Los Angeles, California, Tuesday, April 29, 2014 Thank you for welcoming me so warmly. What a pleasure it is to meet with so many friends of Canada here in Los Angeles. This truly is a remarkable city. I’m honoured to be the first governor general of Canada to visit the west coast of the United Stat...

Palo Alto, California, Thursday, May 1, 2014 Thank you for your warm welcome and for inviting me to speak to you today. I am delighted to be here in Silicon Valley among so many of Canada’s friends and partners. As governor general, I am privileged to represent Canada abroad and to convey the hopes ...

San Francisco, California, Thursday, May 1, 2014 Thank you for welcoming me so warmly. And thank you, Lieutenant-Governor Newsom, for this wonderful honour of the key to the city—my very first as governor general! Although I suspect it will not be helpful if I lose my hotel room key, I think this ke...

Seattle, Washington, Friday, May 2, 2014 Thank you for welcoming me so warmly. What a pleasure it is to meet with so many friends of Canada here in Seattle. This truly is a great city. Seattle is one of this country’s most dynamic and innovative cities, and its ties to Canada are many. This is also ...

San Francisco, California, Wednesday, April 30, 2014 Thank you for your warm welcome—I am delighted to be here. I would also like to thank Dr. Robert Birgeneau—a former chancellor of this university and an esteemed Canadian—for his kind introduction, as well as Dr. Irene Bloemraad for her welcoming ...

Rideau Hall, Monday, May 5, 2014 Welcome, both of you, to Rideau Hall for this presentation of letters of credence. And allow me as well to welcome you to Canada! You have been chosen by your respective nations to represent the ideals and aims of your homeland in this country. I think you will find ...

May 4, 2014 Message from Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston,Governor General of Canada, and Mrs. Sharon Johnston on the Occasion of Mental Health Week OTTAWA— Mental illness is one of the most complex and pressing health issues we are facing today. Depression, anxiety, mood disor...

Rideau Hall, Wednesday, May 7, 2014 My wife, Sharon, and I are delighted to welcome you to Rideau Hall, the home of the people of Canada. This building has been the home and workplace of every governor general since Confederation, and it is here that Canadians gather to share ideas and dreams for th...

Ottawa, Friday, May 9, 2014 CHECK AGAINST DEILVERY It has been said that war is as old as history, but so too is peace, and today we mark the end of Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan. We have gathered on Parliament Hill to take a moment in our busy lives to offer our profound respect and appr...

Rideau Hall, Friday, May 9, 2014 Sharon and I are delighted to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall, an excellent place to honour the arts in Canada! Every year, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards gives us the opportunity to shine a light on and celebrate the men and women behind the perform...

Ottawa, Saturday, May 10, 2014 What an honour it is to share this stage with some of Canada’s greatest performing artists. I am star-struck! Our laureates are being recognized for their lifetime achievement, and tonight’s gala is our way of celebrating their remarkable contributions to the performin...

Toronto, Ontario, Monday, May 12, 2014 Thank you, Tom, for that very warm introduction. I have many fond memories of my time on the board of directors of the Ontario Centres of Excellence, not only because I worked with such fabulous people, but also because I believe so strongly in what this organi...

Ottawa, Tuesday, May 13, 2014 I am delighted to be here with all of you. I have had the privilege of speaking to many fundraising professionals across the country since the beginning of my mandate. Today, I would like to talk about one of my passions—giving—alongside another of my passions—education...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, May 13, 2014 It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Rideau Hall, the home of the people of Canada. Of course, my wife, Sharon, and I always want Rideau Hall to look its very best for our guests, but this is particularly true on an evening such as this, when we have so man...