The Queen and Canada; Residences, Governor General, etc...

[Duchess]

Originally Posted by ~*~Humera~*~

Governor General Michaelle Jean watches as the Newfoundland and Labrador flag is carried following a ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the Battles of the Somme and Beaumont-Hamel at the national war monument in Ottawa Saturday, July 1, 2006. (AP Photo/CP/Polfoto, Jonathan Hayward)


Governor General Michaelle Jean pauses after laying a wreath during a ceremony to honour World War I veterans from Newfoundland at the National War Memorial in Ottawa July 1, 2006. REUTERS/Chris Wattie & Polfoto


Governor General Michaelle Jean inspects the guard during Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa July 1, 2006. Canadians are celebrating their country's 139th birthday. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/Polfoto


Governor General Michaelle Jean (R) shakes hands during Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa July 1, 2006. Canadians are celebrating their country's 139th birthday. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

she is so lovely. thanks for the pics!

[kelly1972]

I really like this GG. She is always smiling and takes time to meet with ordinary Canadians . Like in the pics posted during Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa yesterday. She really seems to enjoy her job and takes it very seriously. I hope all Canadians here at the Royal Forums had a safe and Happy Canada Day,

[charlottestreasures]

Canada's National Newspaper "The Globe and Mail" on Saturday had a special feature including photographs and an article on the the Fashionable Governor General.

[Humera]

MICHAELLE JEAN RECEIVES A ROOFTOP WELCOME IN ALGERIA

Governor General Michaelle Jean enjoyed a unique welcome to Algeria at the weekend when she was greeted by a host of young girls cheerfully singing from the rooftops in an ancient kasbah. It was just one of many moving moments that have touched the Canadian premier since she arrived in Africa for a three-week official state visit.

"At last I've made it to Africa," she said, "I have been waiting for this moment my entire life." Hello

Michaelle Jean looks up to find a chorus of young girls welcoming her to Algeria from the rooftops of an ancient kasbah. Photo: © Canadian Press
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The red carpet was rolled out for Canada's Governor General as she arrived in the African state. Photo: © Canadian Press
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She was greeted by a brass band playing the Candadian national anthem. Photo: © Canadian Press
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The former TV journalist attracted hordes of curious schoolchildren as she participated in a walkabout in the city. Photo: © Canadian Press
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The Governor General stops to wave to onlookers outside a mosque after finishing a tour of a kasbah. Photo: © Canadian Press
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The Canadian premier admires the Roman ruins of Tipaza on Tuesday. Photo: © Canadian Press
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[Humera]

Jean becomes Algerian media darling despite side-stepping political questions

TIPAZA, Algeria (CP) — Even the old men loitering in front of the small-town tobacco shops said they were aware of Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean’s visit.

She was kind of hard to miss — even without the flashy motorcade that had the men staring from the sidewalks.

Jean was featured on Algerian TV for three straight days, and in the newspapers, and on the radio. When she offered standard diplomatic niceties like, “Algeria can be a beacon,” they became front-page headlines.

“We know she’s not a head of state with a lot of power,” said Rachid, a print journalist who did not want to be quoted by his full name.

“But she is a head of state from Canada. We’ve been waiting for such a visit for a long time.

“Go find me one person — just one person — who doesn’t like Canada.”

It was a common refrain from numerous Algerians who pointed out Canada’s unique position as a nation with wealth, with French as an official language, and without the colonial baggage of France and many other prosperous countries. Canada.com

Pictures:

• Canadian Governor-General Michaelle Jean with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika during an arrival ceremony for her in Algiers, Algeria, Sunday Nov. 19, 2006. Photo

• Governor General of Canada Michaelle Jean, right, stops to chat with two children sitting outside their home in the narrow streets of the Casbah as she tours the old part of the city of Algiers, during the first part of her state visit to Africa. Photo

• Michaelle Jean, left, shares a laugh with a man as she tours the Casbah in the old part of the city of Algiers. Photo

• Michaelle Jean listens to a guide at the Roman Ruins of Tipaza in Algeria. Tuesday Nov. 21, 2006. Photo

• Michaelle Jean pauses for a moment during a tour of the Roman Ruins of Tipaza in Algeria. Photo

• Framed by a Revolutionary Guard Michaelle Jean, left, and President of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika arrive for a luncheon meeting at the People's Palace of Algeria after they held bilateral talks in Algiers, Algeria, Monday, Nov. 20, 2006. Photo

• Michaelle Jean signs a book at a memorial at the National Algerian Revolution Museum in Algiers, Algeria, Monday, Nov. 20, 2006. Photo

• Michaelle Jean, right, shakes hands with the President of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika before they hold bilateral talks in Algiers, Algeria, Monday, Nov. 20, 2006. Photo

• Michaelle Jean walks past a Canadian tombstone in the Dely-Ibrahim Commonwealth Cemetery in Algiers, Algeria, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006, before departing for Mali as part of her state visit to Africa. Photo

Gov. Gen. speaks of bitter legacy of colonialism in Africa

ALGIERS, Algeria -- Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean used her African visit Monday to draw attention to the tragic legacy of European colonialism on this continent.

At a state luncheon given by Algeria's president, Jean spoke of her deeply personal attachment to Africa as a black Haitian-born descendent of slaves. It was the prelude to a sombre pilgrimage Jean plans to make next week in Ghana, where she will take a symbolic step through the infamous Door of No Return.

Thousands of Africans passed through that gated archway as they were whisked from a seaside fortress onto slave ships that carried them to their fate in the Americas.

"My ancestors were torn from their lives," Jean told a diplomatic audience in a speech Monday in Algiers. Canada.com

[Humera]

Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean and her spouse, His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond pose at their residence, at Rideau Hall, prior to their trip to France on 29 April, 2008 in Ottawa, Ontario.
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France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon (R) receives Governor General Michaelle Jean in the courtyard of the Hotel Matignon in Paris May 6, 2008.
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Michaelle Jean is welcomed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace on May 7, 2008 in Paris. Mrs Jean, during her five-day visit to France, will attend the ceremonies commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
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France salutes the 'almost Queen of Canada'

PARIS -- In her first state visit to France, Governor-General Michaëlle Jean has been extolled in the media as the "almost Queen of Canada" and a symbol of successful multiculturalism - and all in this decidedly anti-monarchist country where immigration is widely seen as a problem.

"I perceive my role as a kind of catalyst," she said in an interview yesterday. "And I find myself in that role here."

Ms. Jean met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and is scheduled to join him again today in Normandy for memorial services marking the anniversary of the Second World War armistice in Europe. They are also to visit a Canadian military cemetery.
globeandmail.com: France salutes the 'almost Queen of Canada'

Governor General speaks out against racism

. . . Jean has received better press than Sarkozy in recent days. Le Monde's weekend magazine designated her "La presque reine du Canada" - Canada's almost Queen.

Canada and the world were offered "the enlightened face of humanity, intelligence and beauty" when Jean was named to the Governor General post in 2005, the magazine said.

She was also expected to be profiled Wednesday evening in a televised documentary.
Governor General speaks out against racism

[PrinceOfCanada]

On this, the Queen of Canada's official birthday.

To Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. Long may she reign over us!

[Polly]

HM's Official Birthday in Australia is next month. I know that HM wanted to retain the date on which her father's birthday was celebrated (though his was actually in December), and that June is retained, here, in deference to her wishes.

I wonder why such different dates are adhered to throughout the Commonwealth? Personally, I'd be happier if everyone conformed to April 21st.

[wbenson]

There are different customs and needs throughout the Commonwealth. In Canada, making April 21st the Queen's official birthday would, if it were to remain a holiday, add a holiday to the calendar, because Victoria Day isn't going away. It's place in society is pretty well entrenched (though, unfortunately, not as a commemoration of the Queen and her predecessor).

Wouldn't an April 21st birthday cause too many holidays in a short span of time in Australia? Anzac day is 4 days later. Sometimes Easter is around then as well, and two states have labour day on May 1st.

[Polly]

True enough. However, despite April 25th's being a non-moveable feast as it were, I tend to think that the Head of State's birthday is just that.

April 25th is implacably delineated in New Zealand, too, and that country celebrates HM's birthday on the first Monday in June (am I correct here?). Most of Australia celebrates it on the second Monday in June, with Western Australia opting for September/October. The UK's acknowledgement is in June, highlighted by the Trooping of the Colour and Canada's is, apparently, in May. I'm not sure about other Commonwealth nations.

As the birthday is actually April 21st, for the sake of cohesion in these challenging and uncertain times, I simply plump for every nation adopting the same day.