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Ottawa, Sunday, February 15, 2015 Fifty years ago this very day—February 15th, 1965—thousands of Canadians gathered on Parliament Hill to watch as our country’s flag was hoisted high and flew for the first time in the skies over Canada. General the Right Honourable Georges P. Vanier was one of those...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, February 17, 2015 What a pleasure and a privilege it is to welcome you to Rideau Hall, the home of the people of Canada. My predecessor, Vincent Massey, once titled a speech he gave to the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada “A Layman Talks to Architects,” and I want to fol...

Rideau Hall, Wednesday, February 18, 2015 It’s a pleasure to welcome you to Rideau Hall. Today, we celebrate your arrival in Canada, and we reaffirm the importance of diplomacy in today’s world. At the heart of diplomacy is communication. Diplomacy is about taking part in dialogue and keeping the li...

Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, February 19, 2015 I am delighted to extend to you a “virtual” greeting from Ottawa on the occasion of the Qikiqtani Regional Teachers’ Conference. When I was asked to say a few words of encouragement to this gathering, I gladly accepted—and for one simple reason: because I...

Quebec City, Thursday, February 9, 2006 My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I are delighted to be here with you on the occasion of my first official visit to Quebec. We would like to express our warm thanks to the Premier, Mr. Jean Charest, and his spouse, Mrs. Michèle Dionne, for hosting this dinner ...

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, September 26, 2017 Welcome, all of you, to Rideau Hall, the home of the people of Canada. It is your home as well, all of you who have come here to represent your country. This is my last week as governor general, and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past seven years...

Ottawa, Wednesday, September 27, 2017 What an enormous privilege it has been to serve as commander-in-chief of Canada over the last seven years. And what a proud, solemn honour it is to wear this uniform among you, and to praise the service and dedication of the Canadian Armed Forces one last time. ...

Rideau Hall, Wednesday, September 27, 2017 What a pleasure to see you all here at Rideau Hall, the home of the people of Canada. All of you are such great friends of this office and this country, and I’m delighted to have this opportunity to thank you for the outstanding support you’ve given to Shar...

Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, September 28, 2017 Thank you for your warm welcome and for hosting this farewell reception. What a privilege to be here with all of you. My role as governor general is to represent Her Majesty The Queen who, as Canada’s head of State, shares distinct but complementary resp...

The Senate, Monday, October 2, 2017 Good morning to all of you who took the time to come here to witness this secular passing of powers that dates back to the governors of New France but that today is entirely Canadian and represents the foundation of our democracy. I bring warm greetings from our S...

Rideau Hall, October 30, 2017 Excellency, membres of the delegation, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Rideau Hall and to Canada. This is your first visit to Canada and, as it happens, the first State visit I have the pleasure of hosting since becoming governor general a few weeks ago. I am delighted...

Rideau Hall, Monday, October 30, 2017President Santos, Ministers, Ambassador and members of the Colombian delegation, In this historic room of the residence of the Governors General of Canada, on behalf of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Sophie Grégoire, my son Laurier and many parliamentarians, coll...

Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, November 6, 2017 Each year, in early November, we stop for a moment and reflect on the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in the line of duty. Remembrance week offers us the opportunity to honour those who have served our country, and to thank our veterans past an...

I’m delighted to be here at the opening of the “Our Land, Our Art” exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Throughout your lives and careers, you have made your communities better. You have improved our quality of life. You have changed the way we live, work and think.

There is something special about each of you who wear the military uniform. You are committed to excellence and consistently show that you’re ready for any and every task you’re presented with.