OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- 11/23/09 --
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor of Canada, met with Mr. Pascal Couchepin, Grand Temoin de la Francophonie for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
During their meeting held today at Rideau Hall, the Governor General and Mr. Couchepin discussed the importance of the French language and of la Francophonie within the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
His Excellency Abdou Diouf, Secretary General to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, designated Mr. Pascal Couchepin as the Grand Temoin de la Francophonie. Mr. Couchepin, who succeeds Mr. Pierre Raffarin, the former prime minister of France, has been tasked to assess the placement and usage of the French language by organizing committees during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and to submit a report to the International Olympic Committee after the Games' completion.
Contacts:
Rideau Hall Press Office
Marie-Eve Letourneau
613-998-0287 or 613-302-0912 (cell.)
meletourneau@gg.ca
www.gg.ca
www.citizenvoices.gg.ca
