Rideau Hall, Tuesday, March 2, 2010
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These days, we are seeing international solidarity opposing the forces of destruction and devastation, as our sisters and brothers in Haiti try to recover from the disaster that has beset them.
It is that spirit of compassion and extraordinary generosity that helps us counter the pessimism and the feeling of powerlessness we feel as we see the images of unbearable suffering transmitted to us from the disaster site.
It is a spirit that brings us closer to the ideal of fraternity, sharing and peace to which humanity has aspired since time immemorial. An ideal that the whole world will bear like a torch when the sacred Olympic flame will be lit here in Canada.
In a few days’ time, the 21st Olympic Winter Games will open in Vancouver, British Columbia, followed one month later by the 10th Paralympic Winter Games.
And we very much hope that you will join us, to make those Games not only an occasion of excellence, but also a celebration of friendship among peoples and the expression of our solidarity with the most disadvantaged of us in the world.
Ambassador Noghès, there is no doubt that the Principality of Monaco will be worthily represented in Vancouver in the person of Prince Albert II, a member of the International Olympic Committee, former bobsleigh athlete and a proud competitor in the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary 1988, to mention just a few of His Highness’s accomplishments.
Also participating in the Vancouver Games will be a delegation of six Monegasque athletes, who will be competing in the alpine skiing and bobsleigh events, and I would like to take this opportunity to express to them, through your good offices, my best wishes for success.
His Highness’s friendship with Canada is widely known. His last visit with us was in 2008, the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City, which was also an opportunity for us to celebrate the founding of the French fact in the Americas.
That friendship alone is testimony to the strong ties between Canada and the Principality of Monaco.
And of course, we are rightly proud of the French language and culture that we share, which leads us to work closely together within the international Francophone community, and of our productive cooperation within other multilateral organizations, including the United Nations.
Your Excellency, you may rest assured of Canada’s desire to strengthen those already close ties, and to work together with you at the Francophone Summit in Montreux, in October.
High Commissioner Mohamed, the tragic events in Haiti bring back memories of the devastating tsunami that hit South Asia, including the Maldives, and the terrible toll it exacted in human lives.
Canadians were not indifferent, and they contributed to the relief and reconstruction efforts. And please know that they share your very legitimate concerns about climate change.
We are concerned for the well-being of your people, which is why we were so happy to support the transition your country undertook in October 2008 toward a multi-party democracy. We hope that those efforts will bolster the development and success of the citizens of the Maldives.
High Commissioner, I know that you wear many hats, but I hope you will find time in your busy schedule to return to Canada. May your assignment provide a new momentum for our relations.
High Commissioner Thompson, in the past, you had the opportunity to get to know our country and its people.
So you know how dear the values of freedom, justice, and respect for human rights are to Canadians, and how important it is to us to promote them at home and abroad.
It is in that spirit that we plan to work with your country, the Fiji Islands, particularly through international organizations like the Commonwealth and the United Nations.
You may all rest assured, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, of Canada’s commitment to work with you to forge partnerships that are promises of prosperity for the future of all our peoples.
And in keeping with the Olympic ideal, I hope that universally shared human values will win the day, for the well-being of all humanity.
Thank you.
