Statement by the Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), on the Bestowing of Diamond Jubilee Medals to Canadian Athletes

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 28, 2013 /CNW/ - It gives me great pleasure to congratulate outstanding athletes who are receiving The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

At the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games, these athletes demonstrated they can compete with the best and win for Canada. I am extremely proud of their accomplishments and I know our athletes will represent Canada well in Sochi, Russia, at the Winter Games in 2014.

Commemorations like the Diamond Jubilee contribute to our collective identity and help define who we are as Canadians. So it is fitting that, in Her Majesty's honour, we recognize the achievements of these exceptional athletes who have worked hard to serve their communities and country.

On behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Government of Canada, I invite Canadians to join me in honouring the following athletes, who received their Diamond Jubilee medals at a ceremony in Montréal:

Élaine Allard		Marie-Andrée Lessard		Lizanne Murphy
Marie-Ève Croteau		Tracy Little		Norbert Murphy
Stéphanie Durocher		Dominique Mainguy		Sergio Pessoa
Michel Filteau		Pierre Mainville		Aurélie Rivard
Jo-Annie Fortin		Annie Martin		Lyne Tremblay
Bruno Haché		Marie-Claude Molnar		Antoine Valois-Fortier
Pierre-Luc Hinse		Andréanne Morin		Douglas Vandor
Robert Labbé

The recipients also included the following builders who have contributed to the success of sport in Canada:

Michel Bérubé		Nathalie Lambert
Peter Carpenter		Pierre Lamy
Michael Chambers		France Latendresse
Jack Graham		Julia Rivard
Jean Grenier

SOURCE Canadian Heritage