Dear colleagues, I would ask you to hold on for a moment.
Second, novelist and poet Marie-Claire Blais. Please remain standing, Madam. Reverend Father, will you please remain standing. Angèle Dubeau, violinist; film maker Atom Egoyan; Celia Franca, founder of the National Ballet Company; actress Louise Marleau; Guido Molinari, visual artist; John Kimura Parker, pianist; Jean-Pierre Perrault, dancer and choreographer; Al Purdy, poet; Takao Tanabe, visual artist.
These are the Canadians we are honouring today.