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(engine noise)
Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh arrived at
Halifax Stanfield International Airport today, Monday, June 28, 2010,
for their nine-day Royal Tour of Canada.
Over the next nine days, they will visit five communities in
three different provinces, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Manitoba.
During their Royal Tour, they will celebrate a number of Canadian
milestones and participate in events and dedications highlighting
Canadian commitment to service at the local, national and global level.
This is Her Majesty's 22nd official tour of Canada as The Queen of Canada.
(crowds cheering and clapping)
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attended an Official Arrival to Canada and
Nova Scotia Ceremony at Garrison Grounds, an outdoor amphitheatre
on the National Historic site of Canada's Halifax Citadel.
(band music)
Her Majesty and His Royal Highness were greeted by the Governor General,
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaƫlle Jean and His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond
and was presented to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper,
The Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Her Honour the Honourable Mayann Francis,
the Premier of Nova Scotia, the Honourable Darrell Dexter, as well as other dignitaries.
(band music and gun salute)
Canadians of all ages welcomed The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh
to Canada and to Nova Scotia during a nearly hour long ceremony,
(band music)
which included an inspection of the Guard,
(gun salute sound)
a 21-gun salute, speeches, cultural presentations by renowned
Nova Scotia performing artists, Blou and The Baie en Joie.
(music)
"Thank you your Majesty for over half a century..."
In an address, the Prime Minister welcomed
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh to Canada.
(music)
After the musical performance, Her Majesty The Queen
gave her first address of the Royal Tour to Canadians.
"Thank you for your welcome it is very good to be home"
(band music)
Then, they proceeded on a walkabout to meet the crowd who were waiting to see them.
Later at the Halifax Common, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness toured the Mi'kmaq
cultural village to showcase the importance of the history, culture,
and traditions of the Mi'kmaq community to Nova Scotia.
(music)
The focus of this event was to highlight the role of First Nations and
Mi'kmaq communities in contemporary Canada.
The visit also highlighted the common interests and mutual understanding, respect
and lasting relationships among all Nova Scotians.
They participated in traditional demonstrations and viewed artifacts from the Debert
archaeological site, which dates back more than 11,000 years.
They met with local representatives from the First Nation Help Desk,
a Regional Management Organization located in Membertou.
(crowd noises)
A work of art to mark the 400th Anniversary of the Baptism of
Grand Chief Henri Membertou was presented to
The Queen and entrusted to the community for safekeeping.
Mi'kmaq Poet Laureate, Lindsay Marchall read a poem written in
English in honour of the Royal Tour.
Before departing, the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh received
a Mi'kmaq traditional basket and greeted with Mi'kmaq veterans
and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
(applause)
To end the first day of her tour, The Queen unveiled a commemorative plaque highlighting
the restoration of Government House, the oldest official residence in Canada.
The inscription is displayed in four languages: French, English, Mi'kmaq and Gaelic,
acknowledging the history and continuing importance of these
four languages to the Province of Nova Scotia.
(crowd noises)
She also participated in a new tradition: the Ceremonial Royal Key of
Government House was presented to Her Majesty.
This new ceremony will continue for future Lieutenant Governors and VIP Visitors.
(applause)