Speech

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper participates in the Lighting up the Capital Ceremony

December 8, 2006
Ottawa, Ontario

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Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

And thank you, Adrian and Daniele, for that introduction.

And thank you, Marcel, for inviting me and my family to this wonderful event.

It’s a great pleasure to join with you today on Parliament Hill as we flip the switch on Christmas lights across Canada.

In a few minutes, the nation’s capital will be bathed in the glow of hundreds of thousands of lights.

A third of them, I’m proud to say, are environmentally friendly LED lights.

Thanks to Christmas lights across Canada, prominent sites in the National Capital Region – including Parliament Hill, Rideau Hall and 24 Sussex – will sparkle throughout the holiday season and so will the provincial and territorial capitals.

From St. John’s to Iqaluit to Victoria, lights will usher in the Christmas season in Canada.

Over the holidays, Canadians will be dazzled by lights in all our capital cities.

Throughout the yuletide season, Canadians will gather to sing Christmas carols, skate on outdoor rinks and share the fellowship that brings us all a little closer together at this time of year.

For at least a few days, I hope we’ll take a break from our hectic lives and reflect on how fortunate we are to live in the best country in the world.

This good fortune, we owe to the generations of Canadians who have worked so hard to build our country and made tremendous sacrifices to keep it strong, united, democratic and free – especially the men, women and families of our Canadian Forces.

So in this holiday spirit, please accept best wishes from Laureen and me and our family.

However you celebrate Christmas – going to parties, exchanging gifts with family and friends, worshipping in church or helping out less fortunate neighbours – Laureen and our family wish you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas and a happy, prosperous 2007.

Thank you.

And God bless Canada.

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The Prime Minister’s Office - Communications
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