Canada to Send Delegation to State Funeral of Sir Edmund Hillary

News Release

January 18, 2008
No. 14
The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that
Canada will send a delegation to the state funeral of Sir Edmund Hillary on
January 22, 2008, in Auckland, New Zealand.
“Canadians were saddened to learn of the passing of Sir Edmund who, accompanied
by Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, was the first climber known to have reached
the summit of Mount Everest,” said Minister Bernier. “I extend my sympathies to his
family and to the people of New Zealand. He was not only a great pioneer and
mountaineer, but also a great philanthropist who made an immense contribution to the
welfare of the people of Nepal.”
Senator Raynell Andreychuk, a former judge and ambassador, and William (Zeke)
O’Connor, an associate and long-time friend of Sir Edmund who founded the
Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation of Canada in 1974, will represent Canada at the funeral.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
www.international.gc.ca/index.aspx

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Canada to Send Delegation to State Funeral of Sir Edmund Hillary

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