On Sunday night, Zsuzsanna and I were back at the Pacific Coliseum, this time for pairs figure skating. Canada’s pairs – Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay, and Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison – skated beautifully.
After one of the performances, the U.S. Ambassador, David Jacobson, came over to where we were sitting.
‘I hope I’m the first to tell you,’ he said. ‘Canada’s just won gold.’
News of Alexandre Bilodeau’s historic run down the moguls course at Cypress Mountain flew across the city, which quickly reverberated with celebrations of Canada’s first gold on home soil. We celebrated in the
stands at the Coliseum, with former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, his wife Aline and daughter France, as well as Quebec Premier Jean Charest. We got to watch the replay later in the evening.
Congratulations, Alex. It was a perfect run and you’ve made our country proud.
This morning, Hedy Fry took Zsuzsanna on a tour of the Downtown Eastside. They visited the YWCA’s Crabtree Corner Family Resource Centre, and HIPPY Canada, an outstanding community-support program for new moms, particularly from immigrant families. These are the kinds of endeavours we need to support, particularly in tough times – the social infrastructure that supports our everyday heroes, unites our communities, and helps give every child an equal start.
This afternoon, we’ll be stopping by the British Columbia and Québec pavilions, before heading to the pairs figure skating finals – so from a morning witnessing Canadian compassion, to an evening watching
Canadian grace.
Here’s wishing Anabelle, Cody, Jessica and Bryce the best of luck!
Michael Ignatieff will be blogging and tweeting his experiences during the Vancouver Olympic Games. Check back here for updates!
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