Media
The Governor General to receive honorary doctorate from the Università per stranieri of Perugia in Italy; Their Excellencies will also travel to La Rochelle, France, to help plan activities surrounding the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec CityJuly 14, 2006 OTTAWA—Their Excellencies, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, her husband Mr. Jean-Daniel Lafond, along with their daughter Marie-Éden, will travel to Perugia, Italy, at the invitation of the Università per stranieri, celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. On Friday, July 21, 2006, the Governor General will receive an honorary doctorate in international relations from the Italian university. She will deliver remarks on the theme of culture as a vehicle for bringing people and new ideas together. The following day, the Governor General will be invited to share her experiences with other alumni as part of the celebrations surrounding the University’s 80th anniversary. On Sunday, July 23, the city of Perugia will pay tribute to the Governor General by presenting her with the city seal. Governor General Michaëlle Jean is fluent in Italian. She pursued linguistic and literary studies in the faculties of Italian and Hispanic studies at the Université de Montréal and, upon obtaining a scholarship in the 1980s, attended the Università per stranieri in Perugia, and later the University of Florence and the Catholic University of Milan. From 1984 to 1986, she taught at the Faculty of Italian Studies at the Université de Montréal. The Università per stranieri welcomes foreign students looking to specialize in the Italian language, culture and literature. It is also home to a major faculty of archaeology and Etruscology. Over the past 80 years, thousands of students from around the world have studied at this university, including nearly 2300 Canadians. Interuniversity exchanges are an important part of the bilateral relationship between Canada and Italy. The Citadelle: taking part in activities to celebrate Quebec City’s 400th anniversary Their Excellencies will also take part in meetings in the La Rochelle region of France, near the birthplace of Samuel de Champlain, the first governor of New France, in order to discuss the participation of the Poitou‑Charentes Region in the festivities surrounding the 400th anniversary of Quebec City in 2008. For several months now, Jean-Daniel Lafond and the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General have been working closely with the Société du 400e anniversaire de Québec and other partners, to plan and promote activities that will take place at the Citadelle during the 2008 festivities. The Citadelle of Québec is the most important fortification built in Canada. It houses several significant buildings, including the Governor General’s official residence and workplace in Quebec City. Some of the many activities to be held at the historic Citadelle will focus on increasing public awareness of the role of the governor general, the oldest continuous institution in Canada’s public life, going back to Samuel de Champlain. For more information on the events commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City, go to http://www.quebec400.qc.ca/. -30- Media information Marilyne Guèvremont Canadian Embassy in Italy Canadian Embassy in France |
