On the Occasion of an Address to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut by the President of the French Republic Jacques Chirac

In so doing, I want you to know that this honour is not being conferred on Mr. Chirac by chance. Indeed, the President of the French Republic has a keen personal interest in the culture that your people has developed over the centuries.

Mr. President, we know how sincere your passion is for First Nations art. And we are aware of your efforts to preserve and promote it. As proof of this, I would point to your plans to build the Quai Branly museum in Paris, which will be devoted to it. This is why I felt it was entirely fitting to invite you to accompany me here to this new and vast territory of Nunavut.

We noted with pride the interest shown by the people of France in the events that marked the creation of this great territory on April 1. In a world where the barriers to democracy are, sadly, still so numerous, I feel that the patience and determination of the Inuit communities of Canada's Far North deserve recognition. For more than 25 years, they have been laying the groundwork for what is now Nunavut.

Nunavut, which means "our land" in Inuktitut, symbolizes the attachment of an entire people to its land and its beauty. Contrary to what we sometimes think, this northern land is not at all a frozen desert. It has abundant animal, earthly and marine resources and is replete with natural riches. But above all, it is the homeland of a people with an indomitable courage, who have been able, through the force of will, to overcome the hazards of a harsh climate and an environment that, while breathtaking, is also often hostile.

Mr. President, we are all proud of the diversity of our people and of the marriage of cultures that Canadians of many origins are forging. Canada's welcoming tradition is well-known. It carries on the hospitality shown by the first inhabitants of Canada when the Europeans arrived. Without their help and cooperation, the first colonists would not have been able to survive the rigours of winter.

Canada has a multicultural and multiethnic make-up of which we are deeply proud. For this reason we, like France, support initiatives designed to preserve national cultures and identities. They are an essential part of humanity's heritage.

There is no finer example of this than the Inuit. In the face of obstacles, or rather because of their ability to overcome them, they have learned to create and preserve an original culture and artistic expression, the fruits of which are now known throughout the world.

Mr. President, I would be remiss if I did not recognize the presence here with you of Michèle Therrien, an expert on the Arctic who has developed a course on Inuit language and culture given at the Institut national des langues orientales de Paris. No doubt she shares your taste for Inuit art.

Thanks to her initiative, for the past nine years there has been an agreement between the Institut national and the Nunavut Arctic College that allows Inuit to make their language and culture known in France and also enables French researchers and students to add to their knowledge of our country.

We hope that this kind of cooperation continues, for the greater benefit of all concerned.

Mr. President, today we will have an opportunity to travel across Nunavut, from Cape Dorset to Pangnirtung. There, you will meet ordinary people, as well as artists, who will win you over by the warmth of their welcome. They will find in you someone who already appreciates and understands them.

In a few minutes, you will be awarding the Legion of Honour to John Amagoalik. In so doing, you will be performing an act of great significance. Because, you see, this honour reflects not only on the people of Canada's North, but on all those men and women who have been working for so many years to assist the advancement of Native people.

Mr. President, thank you, and welcome to Nunavut.