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France, Sunday, October 30, 2005 We are gathered here on soil hallowed by those who paid the supreme sacrifice, offering their lives so that others might regain freedom. My heart aches when I think that under these stones lie the remains of Canadian soldiers, all so very young, many still in their t...

France, Sunday, October 30, 2005 The Inuksuk, in Inuit culture, is a guide. This stone figure bears lasting witness that humans have passed through a place. It is a signpost in space, sometimes marking a spot that summons us to reverence and contemplation. Peter Irniq who built this Inuksuk, and who...

Rideau Hall, Friday, November 4, 2005 Of all the ways in which the people of a country can express themselves, I would say those employed and explored by our artists are among the most powerful. Theirs is a form of expression born of freedom, that courageously and wholeheartedly seeks to broaden our...

Charlottetown, Monday, November 7, 2005 My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond, my daughter Marie-Éden, and I are delighted to be here with you on Prince Edward Island. My daughter and I were born on an island in the south. And here, I feel as though we are reconnecting with that inexplicable, yet tangible, ...

Charlottetown, Monday, November 7, 2005 My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I are pleased to be with you at this memorable moment when you officially join Canada’s big family. We know how important this experience is for you, as we have been through it ourselves. I cannot take part in a ceremony such ...

Charlottetown, Monday, November 7, 2005 My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I are delighted to be with you this evening and sincerely thank you for hosting this dinner in our honour. There are a number of reasons why I am so pleased to be on Prince Edward Island. This morning, I spoke of the special b...

Charlottetown, Tuesday, November 8, 2005 My husband and I are delighted to join you all today. This event is the culmination of many years of hard work on the part of so many people. I welcome this opportunity to celebrate an institution that is so important to our country. In addition to the crucia...

November 8, 2005 Remembrance Day is marked in many different ways. Children will pack auditoriums for presentations, music and speeches; some will prefer to recall the bravery of our veterans in silence; and others will come together with their fellow Canadians at Remembrance Day ceremonies across t...

Rideau Hall, Thursday, November 10, 2005 As commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces and Chancellor of the Order of Military Merit, I am very pleased to invest 43 members of the Regular and Reserve Force as Commanders, Officers and Members of this Order. In this Year of the Veteran, I was honoured ...

Ottawa, Friday, November 11, 2005 We have gathered today in the Hall of Honour in memory of fallen Canadians. The Seventh Book of Remembrance lists the names of members of the Canadian Forces who have died while on duty since October 1, 1947. It will join six other similar volumes, Books of Remembra...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, November 15, 2005 What is most encouraging in this world is that each of us has the power to spread such beauty, to bring great comfort to those around us, to aspire to the nobles of ideals. This has inspired my hope in humanity. I also know that the worst atrocities are often ...

Charlottetown, Tuesday, November 8, 2005 We have come here today to rededicate an important part of the heritage of Prince Edward Island, and of Charlottetown. For many years, the guns of the Prince Edward Battery guarded the city from potential invaders. They signalled important days throughout the...

Rideau Hall, Friday, November 18, 2005 I am pleased to welcome you to Rideau Hall for this very special ceremony. I am particularly moved that this is my first opportunity to preside over the investiture ceremony of the Order of Canada, and I am very impressed by the assembly of accomplished individ...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, November 22, 2005 Marie-Éden, her father and I are pleased to welcome you here to Rideau Hall to celebrate children’s literature. Through the stories and illustrations that unfold between their covers, inspiring us to dream, these books transport us to a truly wonderful world w...

Rideau Hall, Wednesday, November 23, 2005 As far back as I can remember, books have always been a part of my life. I think that perhaps because books were scarce in my country of origin, I learned to see and cherish them as something very precious indeed. For my parents, books became a path to freed...

November 24, 2005 “My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I were deeply saddened to learn of the accident in Afghanistan which cost the life of Private Braun Scott Woodfield and caused serious injuries to four other soldiers. We wish to express our most sincere condolences to Private Woodfield’s family...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, November 29, 2005 Isn’t it amazing that on the same day that we are honouring teaching history, history itself is unfolding before our very eyes? The Prime Minister of Canada came to see me this morning to ask me to exercise one of my constitutional prerogatives authorizing the...

Ottawa, Thursday, December 1, 2005 When my husband, daughter and I moved into Rideau Hall, we became new residents of the City of Ottawa. As chance would have it, we arrived in Ottawa the same year that you are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Ottawa as a city. I am pleased ...

Rideau Hall, Friday, December 2, 2005 What a privilege it is for me today to honour the merit of women and men who embody the most noble expression of bravery. The magnitude of your deeds knows no bounds for those whose lives you saved. Your courage is equalled only by our admiration. You are real-l...

December 5, 2005 Geneviève Bergeron Hélène Colgan Nathalie Croteau Barbara Daigneault Anne-Marie Edward Maud Haviernick Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz Maryse Laganière Maryse Leclair Anne-Marie Lemay Sonia Pelletier Michèle Richard Annie St-Arneault Annie Turcotte Because they challenged the status quo...