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Toronto, Ontario, Wednesday, March 29, 2017 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY What a pleasure it is to be here today for this exciting announcement! This is an extraordinarily generous gift from the Arrell Family Foundation. And, wonderfully, it’s a donation that will be matched by the University of Guelph to ...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, April 4, 2017 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY I’m pleased to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall, where we so often honour our military men and women. Today, we celebrate acts of meritorious service and bravery. With these awards, we ensure two things: The first being that we can share yo...

Rideau Hall, Thursday, April 6, 2017 At the centre of the Vimy Monument in France, beneath the towering twin pylons that reach into the sky above, stands the figure of a weeping woman. She is carved from a single, 30-tonne block of limestone—the largest in the monument. She is called Canada Bereft, ...

Arras, France, Friday, April 7, 2017 One hundred years ago on Sunday, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps went into battle together for the first time. Their objective was Vimy Ridge. It was 5:30 in the morning. All at once, 863 field guns and howitzers, 120 mortars and numerous mines fired. As...

Souchez, France, Saturday, April 8, 2017 The Battle of Vimy Ridge is perhaps the most famous battle in Canadian history. And yet, how many people know the extent and importance of the underground war? Thousands of Canadian soldiers toiled underground prior to the battle. They excavated an extensive ...

Loos-en-Gohelle, Saturday, April 8, 2017 As citizens of free and democratic societies, it is our duty to remember all those who served our countries in the First World War. For too long, the Battle of Hill 70 and its significance have largely been forgotten. Today, we help to change that. Today, we ...

Vimy, France, Saturday, April 8, 2017 One hundred years ago tomorrow, the clock struck zero hour and some 15 000 Canadian infantrymen went “over the top” in the first wave of attack. It was the moment of truth, but the attack on Vimy Ridge was anything but spontaneous. Months of planning and trainin...

Vimy, France, Sunday, April 9, 2017 On this day a century ago, as dawn broke over Vimy Ridge, the morning air suddenly exploded with an unholy roar. The noise has been compared to a physical assault, shattering the quiet of daybreak. It was the deafening sound of a thousand howitzers, field guns, mo...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, April 19, 2017 What a privilege to welcome you to Rideau Hall and to Canada today. This is a small ceremony, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in significance! Diplomacy is of great importance in this complex, interconnected world. At its best, diplomacy brings people together...

Rideau Hall, Monday, April 24, 2017 “What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.” Those are Aristotle’s words. But they could just as well serve as a motto for recipients of the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. You have served others. You have done good. And in doing so, you have i...

Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, April 26, 2017 When I became governor general, I challenged all Canadians to join me in building a smarter, more caring nation. I have been overwhelmed by the response I’ve seen right across the country. The Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre is a great example of ...

Rideau Hall, Thursday, April 27, 2017 I’d like to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall for this conference on giving. We’re here during National Volunteer Week to discuss and share ideas of where giving is headed, how we can encourage Canadians to give and how we can build sustainable giving in the lon...

Ottawa, Ontario, Friday, April 28, 2017 I am very pleased to be with you at Ottawa City Hall today to thank the many volunteers who give so much of their time, talent and energy to good causes. The Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers recognizes Canada’s unsung heroes. You know who you are! I’ve met wit...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, May 2, 2017 What a privilege to welcome you to Rideau Hall and to Canada today. Diplomacy is of great importance in this complex, interconnected world. At its best, diplomacy brings people together. It bridges differences. It builds on the strengths of nations, rather than divi...

Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, May 3, 2017 This week is Mental Health Week and Canadians have been busy from coast to coast to coast. I did not realize how implicated I was in supporting mental health until I have had an activity every day. Perhaps the most significant was visiting the small rural scho...

Rideau Hall, Monday, May 8, 2017 I’d like to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall for this important discussion on international education. I know from personal and professional experience how wonderful and enlightening international study can be. I was very fortunate to study across the pond in Englan...

Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, May 10, 2017 I begin by extending my sympathies to those who have been affected by the severe flooding in the region. This is a difficult time for many of our friends, neighbours, colleagues and loved ones. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit some of the affected ar...

Ottawa, Ontario, Friday, May 11, 2017 Canada: a nation of losers. That’s right—losers! I’ll bet you weren’t expecting to hear that from the governor general of Canada today! But that was the opinion of Hugh MacLennan, a five-time winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award and one of Canada’s gr...

Rideau Hall, Friday, May 12, 2017 I begin by acknowledging that this gathering is taking place on the traditional territory of the Algonquin peoples. Welcome, everyone, to Rideau Hall! You may have noticed the vibrant, upbeat, classically modern tune that was played when you walked in. Don’t try to ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Saturday, May 13, 2017 “The time has come,” the Walrus said,To talk of many things:Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—Of cabbages—and kings—And why the sea is boiling hot—And whether pigs have wings.” Thank you all for allowing me to unleash my inner Lewis Carroll. It’s not an ...