Soon after the conclusion of the G7 in La Malbaie, Quebec, the White House’s principal adviser to trade, Peter Navarro, declared during a televised interview in United States that « there is a special place in hell for the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau ».
Justin Trudeau has nothing to fear since, after some verification, it appears that there is no more places available in hell. Indeed, the few remaining places have already been booked for the American politicians who refuse to take action to prevent the annual murder of tens of students due to a lack of gun control.
On June 24th 2016, during the National Holiday of Quebec, the new Pierre Lassonde pavilion of the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (MNBAQ) on Grande Allée in Quebec City was inaugurated. This pavilion, that has been expected for a very long time, will allow the Museum to expose art that had to be stored, up to now, due to lack of floor space. This new pavilion will double the exibition space.
Many political personalities were present, among them the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and Quebec’s Prime Minister Philippe Couillard, as well as the MNBAQ director Line Ouellet. International actuality caught up with the Canadian Prime Minister during his presence in Quebec and he had to comment on United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (Brexit) which was voted on the precedent day.
The Pierre Lassonde pavilion architectural project, valued at about $103 millions, was the result of an international competition won by the American architectural firm OMA from New York. Fifteen thousand people were expected to show up for the inauguration. Instead, thirty thousand people visited the pavilion to get a glimpse of the creation directed by the architect Shohei Shigematsu.
Lots of compromises to limit the expenses had to be made, like in all serious projects. Nonetheless, the pavilion is a success and I am eager to see what kind of atmosphere will be generated this coming winter when the light shines through the glass panels and colors the snow around the pavilion. This new building, with its original architecture and the light that emanates from it, already adds a new dynamic when night falls on Grande Allée.
For those of you who are interested in photography, here are some details about the photographic equipment used for my photos : they were all taken with a DSLR Canon 5DSR camera. The Canon lenses that were used were : EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, EF 50mm f/1.4 USM and telephoto lens EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS II USM. The use of a flash being forbidden inside the museum, I had to carefully adjust the ISO, speed and aperture settings, especially where the use of a tripod was not authorized. For those occasions, the EF 50 mm f/1.4 USM was of great help.
For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:
On October 22nd 2015, in Ottawa, a ceremonial service commemorated the anniversary of the attacks that killed two Canadian soldiers in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Ottawa: Warrant officer Patrick Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo. Both families were present at the ceremony.
As one could expected, major security measures were put in place. View of the ceremony was partly blocked by all kind of obstacles and the crowd was held at a good distance by fences and an army of policemen.
I was nonetheless lucky enough to find one of the few spots that provided a direct view on the ceremony and the dignitaries.
Using a Canon 70-200mm f2.8L II USM equipped with an extender, and benefiting from an ideal random positioning of the multiple secret service agents, policemen, soldiers and officers of all kinds, few other photos were made possible.
A first handshake was visible between Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau and the incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper, under the eyes of Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau.
Few dignitaries who were present at the ceremony: The Ottawa mayor, Jim Watson, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, Justin Trudeau, Laureen and Stephen Harper.
On several occasions, Justin Trudeau and Laureen Harper were able to exchange a few words.
Four CF-18s flew over the crowd, at good speed. I was lucky enough to take a picture of one of them. For those photographers who could be interested, the camera speed was 1/8000 sec, the focal length 400mm and aperture 5.6.
Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper then raised and walk toward the National War Memorial in order to lay a wreath on behalf of the people of Canada.
On the left of the picture below, it is possible to see some of the Corporal Nathan Cirillo’s family members.
A second handshake, more assertive this time, was exchanged between Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper.
Comforting words were pronounced by a few people, among them the Governor General of Canada and the military chaplain.
The Governor General of Canada, David Johnston, and his wife are shown leaving at the end of the ceremony.
A serious handshake was exchanged between the Ottawa Mayor, Jim Watson, and the Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau. Justin Trudeau’s both hands covering Jim Watson’s was certainly a sign that real cooperation could be expected.
Soldiers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, of which Nathan Cirillo belonged, did a march- about under high protection. A commemorative plaque was unveiled at the National War Memorial in honor of Cpl Nathan Cirillo and the same will be done next year for Warrant officer Patrick Vincent.
For more articles in the category « Photos of Canada », click on the following link : Photos of Canada
Luck was certainly needed to be able to catch the arrival in Ottawa of Justin Trudeau as the new Prime Minister-designate of Canada, after the historical Liberal Party win of October 2015.
Like it often happens after a long photography session, there is a last minute opportunity that allows some totally unexpected shots.
Just as I finished packing my Canon 5D MKII and camera equipment, I saw a policeman on a motorcycle who was blocking the traffic on Wellington street. He was giving way to the Liberal Party campaign bus.
Estimating that the new Prime Minister-designate of Canada was on board, I took the chance to run back to the Ottawa Parliament. Climbing the stairs two by two, I arrived at the same time as the bus. A Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM was quickly installed to make sure that the photos would be in a wide enough format.
Numerous policemen were taking care of security but I was able to get close enough since there was only twenty or thirty people present, the arrival of a Prime Minister being held secret for obvious security reasons. Few seconds only were needed before Justin Trudeau got out of the bus and turned around to salute the crowd.
He then climbed few stairs, turned around again and showed the thumb up sign.
It was only the second time in the history of Canada that a political party ranking third won an election while forming at the same time a majority government, and the first time that a father and his son had been elected Prime Minister of Canada.
For more articles in the category « Photos of Canada », click on the following link : Photos of Canada