Canada's Governor General, Michaelle Jean, born in Haiti
You may remember her as the beautiful lady laughing uproariously when President Obama visited Canada last year:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NnG1cZ_7VD...ck%2BObama.jpg
http://nimg.sulekha.com/others/thumb...19-12-4-40.jpg
And today:
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465...n?size=620x400
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/1...thquake_cda_gg
Quote:
Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean driven to tears over Haitian earthquake disaster
2 hours, 44 minutes ago
By Bruce Cheadle And Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean had just received word of the worst disaster to hit her Haitian homeland in two centuries of calamities when her American dinner guests arrived Tuesday evening.
The vice-regal, known for her heart-on-sleeve candour, held it together through a long, fraught evening getting urgent but sporadic reports at Rideau Hall with U.S. ambassador David Jacobson.
And she kept her composure during a highly unusual inside-the-war-room photo-op with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his crisis management team Wednesday.
Jean even managed to deliver, unbroken, a French-language statement to the media on the devastating 7.0 earthquake, when "fate once again turned against the people of Haiti."
But shortly after switching to English during a sombre press conference, the weight of Haiti's troubled history appeared to crush one of the country's most celebrated daughters.
Canada's Governor General, Mme. Michaëlle Jean
I am Canadian. The majority of Canadians admire and respect Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.
Mme. Michaëlle Jean: Smart and elegant and we are proud of her. Mme. Jean is an accomplished woman -- fluent in five languages -- French, English, Italian, Spanish and Creole.
In Canada our laws state elected officials and appointed officials, like Mme. Jean, need not be Canadian-born. This great law means we can elect or appoint the best person for the job -- be they Canadian born or new Canadians.
Seeing the devastation in Haiti -- it is too terrible for words. In Montreal where I live there are many Canadians of Haitian origin. Haitians' mother tongue is French so coming to Montreal is their usual first choice. Montreal is the second largest city in the world where French is primarily spoken. When Mme. Jean came to Canada, it was to Montreal. Montrealers and Canadians, regardless of language or ethnicity of origin, are proud to have this very special woman represent Canada. Michaëlle Jean became Canada’s 27th governor general in September 2005.
Right now in Montreal and in other Canadian cities various organizations and charities are reaching out to to the people of Haiti to help however we can.
