Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean
Speech on the Occasion of a Visit to CFB Esquimalt and Sailing Aboard the HMCS Calgary
Esquimalt, Tuesday, March 7, 2006
It is a great thrill for me to join you here today.
As your Commander‑in‑Chief—a role I am most honoured to perform—I understand that my participation in today’s rescue exercise is a unique privilege. I have the opportunity to experience something that is usually shared only with those who commit their lives to serving in Canada’s armed forces.
But I was born on an island—surrounded by water and torn apart by conflict—in a country that would benefit greatly from the presence of peacekeepers, particularly women and men like you who understand in a profound way the privileges of peace and are dedicated to the task of sharing it with others.
I am deeply appreciative of your work, and I pledge to you that I will use my office to promote greater awareness of the significance of what you do.
Your dedication to protecting and promoting the values so many of us take for granted requires you to sacrifice unprecedented time away from those you love; to put yourselves in harm’s way on our behalf; and to take risks that too often pass unappreciated by those at home, removed as we are from the international conflicts that trouble our extended family of nations. Not to mention the recent tragic events in Afghanistan which took the life of some of your fellow soldiers. I cannot help but have a very special thought for Captain Trevor Green as I stand before you today.
Indeed, in recent years I know that your time abroad has been even longer than usual. We owe a great debt of gratitude to both you and your families, who experience your absence and isolation most profoundly.
So it is with both great humility and enormous pride that I wear the Order of Military Merit on your behalf, to remind Canadians of the exceptional service you perform for all of us.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
