Message from Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, on the Death of the Right

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Jun 24 (MARKET WIRE) --
Today is a day of mourning, as much for Canadians throughout the country
as for the team at Rideau Hall in Ottawa and at the Citadelle of Quebec.

The news came to us from Grande Digue, New Brunswick, that my
predecessor, the Right Honourable Romeo LeBlanc, governor general of
Canada from 1995 to 1999, passed away, surrounded by his loved ones.

My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I wish to express our sincere
condolences to his family, his wife Mme Fowler LeBlanc, to his children,
Dominic and Genevieve, to his friends, and to all Acadians for whom he
was a proud ambassador.

He was a man known for his simplicity, his serenity and his generosity.
From the beginning of my mandate in 2005, not one day has passed that
those who have worked with him in this house, which was both his home and
workplace, have not shared with me fond memories of a man who cared so
deeply about his fellow Canadians and their day-to-day lives. It is not
surprising that his legacy was aimed at recognizing compassion and civic
responsibility with the creation of the Governor General's Caring
Canadian Award.

In addition, he was a proud and tireless defender of la francophonie,
both at home and abroad. He carried in him a love of the French language,
in particular the accents, colours and rhythms of his Acadian roots,
where he took his last breath, facing the ocean that cradled him in his
youth.

I invite all Canadians to sign the book of condolence, which will be
available tomorrow, at Rideau Hall, from 10 am to 5 pm, and at the
Citadelle, from 11 am to 5 pm.

Michaelle Jean

Contacts:
Media Information
Rideau Hall Press Office
Marie-Eve Letourneau
613-998-0287
www.gg.ca
www.citizenvoices.gg.ca

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