Prime Minister Jean Chrétien sent a letter to Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee, to express the Government of Canada’s support for Toronto’s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2008. The letter was part of Toronto’s candidature file which was officially delivered to IOC today in Lausanne, Switzerland.
January 17, 2001
Ottawa, Ontario
His Excellency
Juan Antonio Samaranch,
President of the International Olympic Committee
Lausanne, Switzerland
Your Excellency:
I wish to express my personal support and that of the Government of Canada for Toronto’s bid for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2008. Canada is committed to sporting excellence and has been a proud participant and successful host of past Olympic Games.
In Canada, you will find a nation that works every day towards creating the conditions of the Olympic ideal. We believe strongly in a peaceful society that is concerned with preserving human dignity and advancing the human condition in harmony with our international neighbours and the natural environment in which we live.
One of the most prominent distinguishing characteristics of Canadian society is its increasing ethnic, racial and linguistic diversity working together in a common citizenship. Nowhere is this evolving faster than in Toronto, where people from around the world have found a home, bringing with them their cultures, ideas and values to share with the rich, existing multicultural mix. In the process, Toronto has forged a global metropolis that is larger than the sum of its diverse parts.
The Government of Canada regards hosting the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Toronto as a matter of international significance and of pride to Canadians, and has committed financially to join with our government partners in a $1.5 billion revitalization of Toronto’s waterfront. To prepare the Olympic site, waterfront revitalization will lead to cleaner land and water and will create exciting public spaces that will serve Toronto for generations to come. Furthermore, the Government of Canada has provided a Covenant in which we agree to participate in hosting and staging the Games and co-operate with other Games partners in respecting the provisions of the Olympic Charter.
As a nation, we are fully aware of the important responsibilities and obligations that will fall to us as host city for 2008. We remain confident that we possess the necessary vision, talent and energy to successfully celebrate the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2008. We look forward to the endorsement of the members of the International Olympic Committee to take on this important responsibility.
