June 23, 2005

Prime Minister Paul Martin today made the following statement:

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am pleased to wish a happy St. Jean-Baptiste Day to all Quebecers and to all Francophones across Canada.

Every year, St. Jean-Baptiste Day kindles a very legitimate pride in all of us, marking the passage of another year and evoking the important role of Francophone communities in the life of our country. The Quebec culture and all French-speaking cultures across the country are a hallmark of our identity, a precious heritage that generations of Canadians have kept alive and enhanced through their unwavering commitment to shaping a Canada where diversity is a source of strength and a reflection of openness, understanding and fraternity.

St. Jean-Baptiste Day is an opportunity for us to draw on our own history. In Francophone communities throughout Canada, that cultural vitality helps to strengthen our collective heritage and forge closer ties of solidarity that neither our vast territory nor the passage of time can diminish. That is the true significance of this tradition which brings all of us so much closer together.

I wish all of you a St. Jean-Baptiste Day marked by enthusiasm and celebrations. Happy St. Jean-Baptiste Day!”