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  • National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2021

    Transcript
    [Screen Description: A stone inuksuk stands amongst trees. The grass and the leaves are green. There is a small yellow banner in the lower left corner of the screen, which reads “Rideau Hall.”]
    [Screen Description: The Governor General is sitting in a room at Rideau Hall. She is wearing a red and black blouse with a white blazer. A beaded pin representing an orange t-shirt is pinned to her blazer. She is also wearing an Order of Canada pin. There are paintings and a rustic cabinet behind her. There is a logo and a yellow banner in the lower left corner, which reads “Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary May Simon Governor General of Canada”. The text on the banner fades and is replaced with the same text in French. As she speaks, subtitles appear at the bottom of the screen in both French and English. In the background, we hear soft instrumental music.]
    [Governor General Mary May Simon:] Good evening. 
    [Governor General Mary May Simon:] (In French) Good evening.
    [Governor General Mary May Simon:] (In Inuktitut) Good evening.
    [Governor General Mary May Simon:] I am speaking to you from Rideau Hall, on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. I am honoured to be Canada’s Governor General and to be part of acknowledging this very first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Today, I want to communicate a message to you: 
    [Governor General Mary May Simon:] (In French) Reconciliation requires effort every day from everyone. 
    [Governor General Mary May Simon:] (In Inuktitut) And this effort we must carry out for all time, for it has no end date or finish line. 
    [Governor General Mary May Simon:] (In French) On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I urge you to pause and reflect on Canada’s full history. 
    [Governor General Mary May Simon:] (In Inuktitut) Do it to honour those Indigenous children who experienced or witnessed cruel injustices. Many emerged traumatized, many still suffer pain. 
    [Governor General Mary May Simon:] As we strive to resolve the tensions of the past with the promise of the future, we can stand together and move forward with grace and humility.
    [Governor General Mary May Simon:] (In Inuktitut) Make reconciliation a way of life.
    [Screen Description: The screen fades to black.]
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  • State Visit to Germany

    Transcript
    [Screen Description:] The screen reads: Mary May 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.]
    [Screen Description:] The video illustrates a series of scenes featuring Governor General Mary May Simon and Mr. Whit Grant Fraser during their State visit to Germany. They visit several places, including Schloss Bellevue, the Brandenburg Gate, the Frankfurt Book Fair, Neue Wache, the Jewish Museum in Berlin, the Frankfurt Museum of Archaeology, and the Old Town of Frankfurt. There is music in the background.
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  • First Poppy Ceremony 2021

    Transcript
    [Screen Description:] The screen reads: Mary May 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.]
    [Screen Description: The video illustrates a series of scenes featuring Governor General Mary May Simon and Mr. Whit Grant Fraser during the First Poppy ceremony at Rideau Hall. They each receive a poppy and then the Governor General presents poppies to Canadian veterans. Instrumental music is playing throughout the video.]
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  • IllumiNATION: A celebration of the Winter Solstice

    Transcript

    [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?  

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  • New Year’s message from the Governor General

    Transcript

    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

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