Search

[Screen Description: The screen reads: Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada (English), followed by gouverneure générale du Canada (French). The background is dark blue and the viceregal lion is in the centre of the image, above the text. A watermark at the bottom of the image indicates that this video is owned by Rideau Hall. This same image is also seen at the end of the video.]

Hello, bonjour, [Inuktitut greeting]

The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year. But it is in the dark that our stars shine the brightest.

And under these stars, we tell our stories.

My own began in Arctic Quebec, now Nunavik, where my parents and grandmother taught me and my siblings all we needed to know about our heritage.

And at night? My Inuit grandmother told us legends.

My favourite was always the story of Sedna.

My grandmother would delight in bringing Sedna to life, telling us how she became the ruler of the Inuit underworld. How the different species of seals, walruses and other sea mammals were born.

Oral histories and creation myths are important parts of Inuit, First Nations and Métis cultures. These traditions, and the act of sharing them, are what connects us to each other and to the land and waters.

Equally unique customs and stories are found in every corner of this country, told in a kaleidoscope of languages.

Stories teach us what we need to know: how to treat each other; the difference between good and evil; how kindness is a strength all of its own. They help us grow into who we want to become.

As we get older, we start to form our own tales, taken from our life’s experiences.

We all have a story to tell.

Through my own story, I learned to find my voice and to use it to empower others still struggling to be heard.

As winter begins, as the stars come out in the sky, open your hearts, remember the past and look to the future you want.

Let the stories pour out.

What is yours?  

December 30, 2021

OTTAWA - A new year gives us a new beginning and new hope for tomorrow.

We have seen hope in the everyday.

Even after a hard year, Canadians are showing resilience, compassion and adaptability.

These Canadians inspire me to keep working, to keep seeking out better ways to help our communities and our children thrive.

In Inuktitut, there is a concept called ajuinnata. Although it means commitment, a promise, a vow, it’s also so much more—we find meaning in its action. 

Together, we are combating the COVID-19 pandemic with vaccinations and public health measures.

Together, we are thinking of creative and innovative solutions to save our planet.

Together, we are walking the path of reconciliation, on a lifelong journey of healing, respect and understanding.

With every hard question we ask, we find answers to how we can make Canada a truly inclusive and sustainable country.

Mary Simon

[Screen Description: Governor General Designate Mary Simon is sitting in a room at Rideau Hall. She is talking to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II via video call. The Governor General Designate is wearing a white blazer. The Queen is wearing a floral-patterned, green-and-purple shirt, and a silver maple leaf brooch.]

[The Queen:] It’s very nice to have a chance to talk.

[Ms. Simon:] Yes, Your Majesty, it’s wonderful to … to be able to speak to you today.

[The Queen:] So, you’re taking over a very important job.

[Ms. Simon:] Yes, I’m very privileged to be able to do this work over the next few years. I think it’s vitally important for our … for our country.

[The Queen:] Indeed, yes. Because your work… your own work has been … you’ve been very busy.

[Ms. Simon:] Yes, I’ve devoted a lot of my time to working on Arctic issues, because I am from the Arctic...

[The Queen:] Yes. Yes.

[Ms. Simon:] … and also working to get a lot of things organized with the Indigenous peoples and the Inuit of Canada.

[Screen Description: The screen reads: “Mary Simon – Governor General of Canada,” followed by “Gouverneure générale du Canada.” The background is dark grey and the viceregal lion is in the centre of the image, above the text. A watermark at the bottom of the image indicates that this video is owned by Rideau Hall.]

[Screen Description: Her Excellency is sitting in a room at Rideau Hall. She is wearing a grey and purple jacket. She is also wearing a Platinum Jubilee pin and an Order of Canada pin. Photos of Her Excellency and Her Majesty The Queen taking part in various events are displayed throughout the video.]

Hello, bonjour, [greeting in inuktitut].

This year, we mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Growing up in Northern Quebec, my grandmother would show us pictures of The Queen. Her Majesty was revered in the Arctic, since the relationship between the Crown and Indigenous peoples is considered sacred.

For the past 70 years, Her Majesty has been a reassuring and constant figure of compassion and poise. She has seen the evolution of our country first-hand during her many visits to Canada, which she calls her "second home."

Much has changed in the last seven decades. We extended the hand of friendship to nations around the world. We made advancements in medical research, most recently with vaccines. We established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and took part in its work. We saw the first Canadian named governor general, then the first woman and now, the first Indigenous person. 

We should be proud of our diverse and inclusive society, and what we have accomplished together.

In communities from coast to coast to coast, people are marking the jubilee by paying tribute to the only monarch many of us have ever known.

All across the country, you will see the unique emblem created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority for this important occasion. Just one of the many commemorations during this important year.

I would like to congratulate Her Majesty on the Platinum Jubilee.

Thank you for your steadfast dedication towards our collective well-being.

Assunta DiLorenzo: Claudine Roy has a contagious passion for her region.

Claudine Roy: After 18 years, I can say that it's a great success that the Grandes Traversées, people come from all over the world. We have journalists, exceptional coverage. And what is very remarkable is when people leave this part of the country, they leave with the Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec, and I always say Canada, tattooed on their hearts because they live an experience that is truly unique.

no dialogue

Governor General Julie Payette: This is the season of remembrance. We wear the poppy. We stand in silence and remembrance and we stand on guard for those who have worn the uniform and still do today.

The purpose of the Order of Military Merit is not just to recognize an accomplishment, but the commitment of an entire career and life over the years.

(Applause)

(V.O.): Station, this is Houston, are you ready for the event?

David Saint Jacques (DSJ): Houston this is Station, I am ready.

GG Julie Payette (GG) : David, here at Rideau Hall, in Ottawa. We see you, and we hear you loud and clear. How do you hear us?

DSJ: Hello Julie, loud and clear from the space station.

GG : We are all very impressed by the work you do and the generosity with which you share this experience. Thank you for being here. Let me tell you that we’re here with friends, colleagues and students, but also have someone really special right next to me who is going to say hi.

Premier Ministre Justin Trudeau (PM) : Hi David ! What a pleasure to see you in space. As you know, science is extraordinarily important to Canadians, it’s important to this government, and our capacity to continue to be world-class in our contributions to science and to space is really important to me, to you, and I think all Canadians. So I’m going to turn it over right now.

Student 1: Hi, my name is Emilia, and I wanted to ask you, is it possible to see the pollution in space? For example, plastics in the oceans?

DSJ: Generally yes, you can subtly see the effects of pollution. Around big cities you can see a kind of smog. And then of course you can take photographs of icebergs, glaciers, polar zones, and compare them with old photographs and see that the melting ice is spreading.

Student 2: Hi, my name is Simon, and my question is what kind of experiments or research are you doing in space?

DSJ: We can do molecular biology research, pharmacology research, materials science research, astrophysics research that is done here, a lot of human psychology research, more technological research on how to survive in space, how to improve our life support systems here. That's what's fantastic about space research that it always ends up being of use to all of us.

Student 3: Hello, my name is Maria and my question is why is Canada’s space program so important and what are the benefits?

DSJ: I’m glad you asked this. There’re many aspects. First, I talked a lot about all the health research we do. All the research we do on health in space has benefits for everybody in Canada. And that’s because basically being in space is kind of bad for your body. The way in which it is bad for your body resembles real disease on earth. So, whenever we fix a problem for astronauts, we fix a problem that’s a real disease on earth. I want to quote Madame Payette, here, a nice quote I heard from her, “If you can go alone, maybe you can go fast, but if you go as a group, you can go further.”

Student 4: My name is Serena, and I’m 16 years old. I thought it was really amazing to have the opportunity to speak with the International Space Station, and I really loved his answers about the application of medicine in space and on earth. I never thought of it that way and I can see space as a really valuable thing going forward for Canada.

Student 5: Hello, my name is (inaudible) I'm 13 years old and today I had the opportunity to speak with David St. Jacques, an astronaut who is on the International Space Station. It's really an experience that not many people have the opportunity to have. So I am very pleased that I was able to speak with the Prime Minister and the Governor General of Canada, it is very important.

GG: Thank you David. We can’t do anything alone, and I know there is an enormous support structure out there for you. We are very impressed, very proud of you.

PM: Bravo David, thanks a lot!

DSJ: Thanks Julie, thank you Prime Minister, thanks everyone.

(V.O.) Thank you Canadian Space Agency and participants.

GG Julie Payette: It is important to keep all the elements of the story. The good shots, like the hard shots.

The study of history teaches us to think critically. To look about the past, to understand the present, so we can do and work for a better future. It’s perhaps the most factual and actual of all studies.

Whether you teach history, whether you write about history, whether you share and communicate history, history is always relevant. Particularly in today’s fast paced world, where information is everywhere. We’re bombarded, and it’s starting to get harder and harder to differentiate truth from untruth.

In this context of rapid change, the study of history is more important than ever. To tell it with verifiable facts, rigorously, and to communicate it accurately.

This rigour, this engagement of you, history teachers, scholars, curators, students, and history buffs, become more relevant than ever and more important than ever.

TEXT ON SCREEN

This portrait will be on public display in Government House in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, as of September 20, 2018.

GG Julie Payette: But you are here today because you’ve been nominated, because you’ve done something extraordinary, you’ve pushed the definition of volunteerism even further.

MC: Tad Milmine. Tad Milmine has spent countless hours speaking out against bullying at high schools and youth organizations across the country and abroad. He is a model of determination and resiliency within the LGBTQ community. Mr. Milmine.

Tad: Well for me, the reason why I’m so inspired to keep doing it is because on a daily basis, I get probably several dozen if not one hundred emails from young people and those emails are telling me what’s going on in schools and the challenges they’re facing, and how alone some of these individuals are feeling. There are so many young people out there who just need that little bit of support or guidance or just a little extra assistance in their day, and it’s a privilege and honour that I get to be that person.

MC: For the past 10 years, Olivia Monton has devoted her time to helping others at home and abroad. In 2014, she established Live for the Cause, a foundation that encourages volunteerism and philanthropy in Montreal.

Olivia: So we currently have over 35 young people volunteering for Live for the Cause, for my foundation and they motivate me. Their excitement and energy and engagement in what we’re doing is really what drives me.

When you’re involved in something wholeheartedly and you feel connected to it, that’s where the enrichment comes in and that’s where it can make your life a lot more meaningful and purposeful.

No dialogue

Christine McIntyre: We are so pleased that you are able to join us for this ceremony, where we welcome the Queen Elizabeth II Equestrian Monument to its new home at the entrance to Rideau Hall.