This is turning out to be a rather spectacular week as well. Yesterday I had the honor of meeting Ministers Cannon, Van Loan, Day and MacKay. Today I begin my trip across Canada. There is so much about Canada I’ve long admired, starting with (and maybe stemming from) your embrace of diversity. Julie and I decided our first stop should be in La Belle Province – Quebec- and today it is Quebec City. We enjoyed getting to know Premier Charest and his wife Michèle Dionne. We also met with Lieutenant Governor Pierre Duchesne, Quebec National Assembly President Yvon Vallières, and opposition leader Pauline Marois. We even had time to do a little sightseeing, and what an amazing city this is! Julie (whose French is better than mine) called it une ville magnifique!
One thing that was particularly noteworthy was that, when I arrived at the Quebec National Assembly building, the American flag was flying on the building to greet me. A warm gesture.
I haven’t had time to catch all of today’s news, but I have heard that the Nobel prizes are starting to be announced. I’d like to join with others in extending my best congratulations to Willard S. Boyle, George E. Smith and Charles K. Kao for sharing in the award for the Nobel Prize for Physics. Boyle and Smith invented an imaging semiconductor circuit known as the CCD sensor and Kao made a breakthrough involving the transmission of light in fibre optics. I understand that both Canada and the United States can claim Willard S. Boyle as one of their own. Since I’ve been a devoted amateur photographer for some time, I’m especially appreciative of the work that led to the eye in the digital camera. Thanks to these scientists’ hard work, discovery and collaborative spirit, we all benefit. They are an amazing example for our next generation and we wish them the very best.
Tags: Montreal, Nobel, Premier Charest, Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec National Assembly
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