bout de papier, Vol. 17, No. 2 (2000) — Summer 2000 // Été 2000, pp. 42–43
Editor’s note: The Green Room at Canada House in London, renamed the Gilles Landry Room, will be dedicated to Gilles’ memory. It is the single largest reception room at Canada House and is also used for temporary exhibitions. This honour is a fitting legacy to Gilles’ extraordinary hard work.
The following remarks were delivered by Mary Ellen Kenny, Special Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the Memorial Service for Gilles Landry in London on June 9, 2000
I have been asked by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, to make the following statement on his behalf.
Dear Tristan and Jean-Noé, dear friends and colleagues of Gilles, dear guests.
I was profoundly shocked and deeply saddened when I learned, last Tuesday, of the sudden death of Gilles Landry. In the past four years I had come to know and respect Gilles and to count on his considered advice and assistance. Gilles worked closely with me in the context of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), particularly in its consideration of Nigeria and the strong campaign Canada mounted for the restoration of democracy in that country. His astute and informed assessments of the state of play and the recommendations he put to me for the Canadian response were invaluable and made an unquestionable and significant contribution to the resolution of this troubling issue. More recently he had travelled to Pakistan with me when I led a CMAG delegation to examine the situation in that country following the overthrow of its government. Here again, he was a valued counsellor. The morning he died so unexpectedly and tragically he was to have attended a special meeting of CMAG, called urgently to consider the situation in Fiji. His dedication to the ensuring the full implementation of the terms of the Harare Declaration in all member states of the Commonwealth never wavered. He will be deeply missed by his many colleagues who worked with him here in the High Commission, in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, at the Commonwealth Secretariat, and at the British Council
But if there is one single place where his absence will be most acutely felt it is in the building we now stand in to honour his life and his memory. The re-opening of Canada House by The Queen in May 1998 had Gilles’ stamp on it throughout the long gestation of the project to its culmination and beyond. Gilles’ vision and imagination are everywhere to be found in this building. He understood, right from the beginning, that this re-opened building had to be much more than a museum to Canada-UK relations and the Canadian presence in the United Kingdom. He knew and understood that it had to be a building for the twenty-first century. Hence the internet café, the touch-tone screens, the imaginatively chosen art work, the unforgettable opening ceremony where the best of Canada was here in the flesh, from some of its most distinguished writers, to members of Cirque du Soleil and Canadian rock stars. That this building is now the busiest and liveliest outpost of Canada abroad is very much Gilles’ legacy. I want to honour that legacy in a way that ensures it lives on, as does the memory of the dedication, vision, and determination he brought to it. I have, therefore, asked that the art gallery/cinema/library be named after Gilles and dedicated in his honour.
Dear Tristan and Jean-Noé, my deepest and profoundest condolences on the loss of your father. He was an outstanding representative of Canada abroad and a distinguished public servant. He will be much missed and his memory cherished for years to come. Thank you.
Lettre de Premier Ministre Jean Chrétien
Ottawa 2000
Je suis à la fois honoré et profondément attristé de me joindre à vous pour rendre un dernier hommage à Monsieur Gilles Landry et pour souligner sa contribution extraordinaire à la diplomatie canadienne.
Tout au long d’une carrière diplomatique de 25 ans, Gilles Landry s’est employé avec vigueur et passion a défendre les valeurs et les intérêts du Canada. Diplomate et négociateur hors pair, il a aussi conseillé à la fois ministres et premiers ministres avec une rigueur et un jugement exemplaires.
La remarquable carrière de Gilles Landry s’est déroulée sous le signe de la polyvalence. Il s’est illustré à Abidjan, à Paris et à Londres, où il a joué un rôle de première importance dans la renaissance de la Maison du Canada. Champion des valeurs démocratiques canadiennes, il a grandement contribué au Groupe d’action ministériel du Commonwealth. À Ottawa, il a su mettre à profit ses immenses talents à la gestion des affaires fédérales-provinciales ainsi qu’à titre de directeur du Bureau du coordonnateur fédéral de la Francophonie, où ses efforts ont contribué à rehausser le rôle du Canada dans la francophonie.
Aline se joint à moi pour offrir, au nom de tous les Canadiens, nos plus sincères condoléances à la famille, aux collègues et aux nombreux amis de Gilles Landry.
Lettre de Premier Ministre Lucien Bouchard
Québec, le 13 juin 2000
Monsieur Tristan Landry Monsieur Jean-Noé Landry 72 North Gate, Prince Albert Road, Londres
Messieurs,
C’est avec consternation et une grande tristesse que j’ai appris le décès de votre père. Je tiens à vous exprimer ma plus vive sympathie à la suite de ce deuil qui vous frappe si brutalement.
Rien ne saura jamais vous consoler de la perte prématurée de cet être cher. Vous vous rappellerez toutefois qu’au-delà de tout ce qu’il vous a donné comme père, ami et éducateur, il a fait une carrière exceptionnelle de diplomate. C’est en cette qualité que je l’ai connu et apprécié. Mais j’ai également découvert ses belles aptitudes humaines. Son esprit d’équipe, son désintéressement et son très bon jugement ont notamment contribué à faire un grand succès du premier Sommet de la francophonie, celui de Paris. Son départ nous affecte tous.
Je vous réitère mes plus sincères condoléances que je vous saurais gré de transmettre à tous les membres de votre famille. Puisse l’affection de vos proches vous aider à traverser ces difficiles moments.
, Sincèrement,
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Originally published in / Publié à l’origine dans bout de papier, Vol. 17, No. 2 (2000) — Summer 2000 // Été 2000, pp. 42–43. Read the rest of this issue / Lire le reste de ce numéro →
