Canada’s 21st Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Paul Martin, released the PM’s traditional Christmas message on this date in 2004. You can read it below.
PM Paul Martin: I am delighted to extend to you my warmest greetings and best wishes for the holiday season.
This special time of year is an excellent opportunity to celebrate with family and friends and to show our appreciation for the many qualities that make Canada such a wonderful country in which to live. It is also important to remember how fortunate we are to reside in a country where democracy, cultural diversity, prosperity and respect for human rights and individual freedoms prevail – much to the envy of the world. Let me assure you that I will continue to do everything in my power to make Canada a country in which we can all collectively take great pride.
Indeed, in the face of today’s unique challenges and pressures, the holiday season is an excellent occasion to promote mutual respect and understanding, and share in the common values of tradition and faith. As a nation, this special time of the year helps us recognize the rich diversity of our culture – the cornerstone of Canada’s success and prosperity.
Sheila joins me in wishing you happy holidays, as well as a peaceful and healthy New Year.
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.