National Defence: Canada Is 'Most Honoured Nation' at U.S. Festival that Salutes NATO

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA--(CCNMatthews - April 24, 2006) - Virginia-Canada has been named the most honoured nation for Norfolk's International Azalea Festival and, for the fourth time in the spring festival's 53-year history, the Canadian Forces and its personnel here will be the centre of attention.

The festival is an annual salute to NATO and Canada was also named most honoured nation in 1973, 1986, and 1993. The 2006 festival runs from April 24 to 30.

Canada is one of the original 12 signatories to the Washington Treaty, the treaty that established the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation or NATO in 1949. In 1952, the Alliance established a naval headquarters in Norfolk charged with protecting the sea lanes between Europe and North America.

In 1953, the local community showed its appreciation by launching an annual spring festival.

NATO's long-time naval headquarters was replaced in 2003 by a new headquarters, that of Allied Command Transformation, which is responsible for the continuing transformation of the Alliance with its new global security outlook.

"For us at Allied Command Transformation, the Azalea Festival represents 53 years of friendship between NATO and the citizens of Norfolk and Hampton Roads," said Canadian Forces Lt. Gen. Michel Maisonneuve, ACT's chief of staff since the stand-up of the new command.

"As home to the only permanent NATO headquarters outside Europe, Norfolk is a special place for the Alliance. Norfolk marks one end of the important transatlantic link that joins the North American and European arms of the Alliance," he added.

As most honoured nation, Canada had the privilege of nominating this year's Queen Azalea. The Canadian community in Norfolk nominated Paulina Gretzky, 17-year-old daughter and eldest child of Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones-Gretzky.

Paulina will join the week of festivities and will be crowned at a formal ceremony on April 28. The following day, she will ride the Canada float in the festival's international parade.

Canada has 25 military personnel serving here with NATO and another 15 serving nearby in exchange or liaison positions with the U.S. military. An additional 15 Canadians serve in ACT's subordinate commands in Europe.

The week-long festivities will be supported by Canadian Forces military bands, Royal Military College cadets, and a Canadian warship, HMCS Halifax. The multi-role frigate will host a twinning ceremony between the cities of Norfolk and Halifax

In all, more than 350 Canadian Forces personnel will participate in this year's festival. For further information, see the attached backgrounders (English, French) or visit these web sites: www.act.nato.int; www.azaleafestival.org. To contact ACT public affairs, call (757) 747-3600.

BACKGROUNDER

CANADA'S CONTRIBUTION TO NORFOLK'S INTERNATIONAL AZALEA FESTIVAL

INTRODUCTION

The International Azalea Festival was launched in 1953 by the citizens of Norfolk, Virginia, as a salute to NATO. The Alliance had been signed into existence only four years earlier, in 1949, by way of the Treaty of Washington, with Canada and the United States among the 12 first signatories. In 1952, a NATO naval command, Allied Command Atlantic, was established in Norfolk. In 2003, NATO was restructured and after half-a-century the naval command was replaced by Allied Command Transformation, a new functional strategic command dedicated to the continuous improvement of the Alliance. Twenty-four of NATO's now 26 nations are represented in Norfolk. As part of festival tradition, a most honoured nation is named each year, and that nation selects the annual Queen Azalea, who is crowned at a coronation ceremony during the week-long celebration in April (see www.azaleafestival.org).

Canada was named most honoured nation for 2006. This is Canada's fourth time in the festival's 53-year history-the country was also so honoured in 1973, 1986, and 1993. Canada's ties to Norfolk long pre-date the festival. Since World War One, Canadian warships have been visiting what is today the world's largest naval port. By the end of World War Two, Canada owned the third largest Allied navy and was escorting 70 per cent of European-bound convoys. Royal Canadian Navy warships were therefore frequent visitors along America's Atlantic coast, including Norfolk and the Hampton Roads area. Canada was one of the first nations to assign permanent staff to the original headquarters in Norfolk, and her military personnel now fill more than 40 positions across the new strategic command, including positions in European-based subordinate commands. A summary of Canada's participation in the 2006 festival follows.

QUEEN AZALEA

Background. As the Azalea Festival's "most honoured nation" for 2006, Canada had the privilege of selecting this year's Queen Azalea. On behalf of the Canadian community, Allied Command Transformation's Chief of Staff, Canadian Forces Lieutenant General Michel Maisonneuve, extended the invitation to Paulina Gretzky. Paulina, 17, is the eldest of Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones-Gretzky's five children. Wayne is one of Canada's best known sons-a hockey "hall of famer" and arguably the greatest professional ice hockey player ever, he holds 61 different National Hockey League records and is the only player to have his jersey, number "99," retired from the entire league. His wife Janet is a prominent American singer-actress. In 1988, when the two were married in Edmonton, Alberta, their marriage was dubbed Canada's "Royal Wedding." An aspiring singer, actress, and model, Paulina lives with her family in Los Angeles, California, where she was born. She holds dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship. To see Paulina's acceptance video, visit www.azaleafestival.org.

Participation. In her role as Queen, Paulina Gretzky will participate in most aspects of the Azalea Festival, most notably the Coronation and the International Parade. During the week long festival, she will visit numerous schools in the Norfolk area to promote awareness of Canada and NATO.

ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADA

Background. Thirty-five cadets from Canada's Royal Military College will participate in several aspects of Norfolk's International Azalea Festival. Now the country's only military university, The Royal Military College of Canada is located in Kingston, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Ontario. Canada's "West Point" was established in 1876 by an act of Canada's Parliament "for the purpose of providing a complete education in all branches of military tactics, fortification, engineering, and general scientific knowledge in subjects connected with and necessary to thorough knowledge of the military profession." In 1878, Queen Victoria granted the College the right to use the "Royal" prefix. RMC offers a wide variety of programmes in arts, science, and engineering at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Further information can be obtained at www.rmc.ca.

Participation. RMC cadets will form a seven-member flag party for the International Parade and for Azalea night at the Norfolk Tides' baseball game. Twenty-seven RMC cadets will join with Virginia Military Institute cadets to serve as escorts for the Queen, her princesses, and their attendants; three of these cadets will escort the Queen and her two attendants. A cadet bagpiper in a traditional Highland kilt will perform at several events, including the Queen's Dinner and Ball on Saturday.

HER MAJESTY'S CANADIAN SHIP HALIFAX

Background. On April 27, Norfolk, Virginia, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, will become Sister Cities. The City of Halifax's namesake warship, HMCS Halifax, one of Canada's modern frigates, will serve as a backdrop to this and other events in downtown Norfolk. The first of a new generation of multi-role, Canadian built frigates, HMCS Halifax, FFH 330, was commissioned in 1992. Another 11 Halifax class Canadian Patrol Frigates entered service by 1996. It has a complement of up to 240 crew members including its Sea King detachment. Comparable to the USN's Oliver Hazard Perry class, this 4750-tonne warship has a top speed in excess of 29 knots and a range of some 9,500 nautical miles. Typed as a guided missile patrol frigate, it is equipped with Honeywell Mark 46 torpedoes and Raytheon Vertical Launched Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles. The first HMCS Halifax, K237, was commissioned on November 26, 1941. Among other duties during World War Two, this corvette served under U.S. control for the New York to Guantanamo Bay convoys. In the wake of 9/11, HMCS Halifax was the first ship of a subsequent six-warship Canadian naval task group to arrive in the Arabian Gulf-Canada's was the first coalition naval task group to join U.S. naval forces in the Middle East. Further information can be obtained at www.navy.forces.gc.ca.

Participation. HMCS Halifax will arrive in Norfolk on April 26th and will berth at the Nauticus cruise ship jetty. The ship will host the twinning ceremony between the cities of Norfolk and Halifax on Thursday evening-the Mayor of Halifax, Peter Kelly, will be present along with Norfolk's Mayor Paul Fraim. The ship will open its upper decks to the public on Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Members of the ship's company will represent Canada at various festival events, including a marching contingent in the International Parade on Saturday.

ACADEMIC EVENTS

Background. An academic symposium titled "Meeting the Challenges of 21st Century Security" will be held on April 25th. This annual Azalea Festival symposium is being co-sponsored this year by The Embassy of Canada, along with Virginia's Old Dominion University and Allied Command Transformation, which is the lead organizer. Canada has deployed 16,000 personnel and 20 Warships to Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf since 2001, and it currently has 2,300 troops serving in Afghanistan. Moreover, Canada has long supported a wide range of NATO and UN peace support operations around the world. Consequently, the country has a strong interest in the themes for this year's conference, which include "the dangers of the new threat environment" and "avenues for allied adaptation." For further information about Canada as a U.S. and NATO ally, visit www.canadianally.com. Information about the seminar can be found at www.act.nato.int/events/seminar. Canada will also support an evening programme hosted by the Greater Hampton Roads World Affairs Council, titled "Sharing North America: The Success of Canadian-US Relations." For information about this event, visit www.hrwac.org.

Participation. Canada will supply keynote speakers for both academic events. For the Azalea seminar, the Canadian keynote will be Ambassador Paul Heinbecker, a former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations and the current Director for the Centre for Global Relations, Governance, and Policy at Wilfrid Laurier University, in Waterloo, Ontario. The Canadian keynote for the World Affairs Council programme will be Colin Robertson, Minister (Advocacy) and Head, Washington Advocacy Secretariat, Canadian Embassy. Representatives from the Canadian Embassy and the Canadian Forces will also be in attendance.

FIRST NATIONS HOOP DANCE

Background. Petty Officer (Second Class) Earl Charters, a medic in the Canadian Forces, has been performing this traditional native North American dance for many years. The hoops represent spirits and the dance tells a story of all earthly spirits dancing in celebration to the beat of Mother Earth. Accompanied by the beat of a pow wow drum, performed by drummer Mr. Starlight, the version of the dance performed by Petty Officer Charters involves 30 hoops and 60 different formations, culminating with the "universe formation" using all 30 hoops, symbolizing Mother Eagle dancing with Earth, Sun, and Moon.

Participation. Accompanied by pow wow drummer Mr. Starlight, Petty Officer Charters will perform the hoop dance at the Norfolk-Halifax twinning ceremony on board HMCS Halifax on Thursday, the Friday matinee of the International Tattoo, and on the NATOfest stage Saturday. The duo will also ride on the Canadian float during Saturday's International Parade.

VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL TATTOO

Background. Canadian military bands have been long-time supporters of the Virginia International Tattoo, which is presented in co-operation with Norfolk's International Azalea Festival. This year's list of Canadian performers includes: 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Pipes and Drums, from Petawawa, Ontario; Camp Gagetown Pipes and Drums, from Gagetown, New Brunswick; Pipes and Drums of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, also from Gagetown; Delta Police Pipe Band, from Delta, British Columbia; Paris Port Dover Pipes and Drums, from Brant, Ontario; Royal 22e Regiment Band, based in Quebec City, Quebec; Royal Canadian Mounted Police Display Team, from Ottawa, Ontario; and the Schiehallion Dancers, Scottish highland dancers based in Hamilton, Ontario. In all, the tattoo will feature 800 performers, of whom 200 will be Canadian.

Participation. Canadian bands and other performers will appear at the Tattoo on Friday through Sunday, and some of the bands will march in the International Parade on Saturday morning along the Norfolk downtown waterfront.

CANADA FLOAT & INTERNATIONAL PARADE

Background. As with past years, Canada will sponsor a parade float; this year, with the generous support of the local Royal Canadian Legion, Virginia Beach Branch, who will have a marching contingent in the parade. Given that Canada is the festival's most honoured nation for 2006, its float will carry Queen Azalea, whose royal chair will be the centrepiece. The float's theme is, "True north proud and free." Symbolic of Canada, a large maple leaf, surrounded by the country's 13 provincial and territorial flags, will be the backdrop for the Queen. Canada's youth and sports culture will be represented by young Canadians in hockey sweaters, and Canada's First Nations will be represented by a native dancer and drummer in traditional dress (see Hoop Dancer above). Also participating in the parade will be a marching contingent from HMCS Halifax, along with Canadian bands and performers from the International Tattoo, including a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Display Team and the Royal 22nd Regiment of Canada Band. For information about the Royal Canadian Legion visit www.legion.ca; for information about Canada, visit www.canada.gc.ca.

Participation. The float will be part of the International Parade on Saturday morning. Paulina Gretzky, Queen Azalea, will be flanked by her two attendants and three escorts (cadets from Canada's Royal Military College).

CANADA KIOSK

Background. A high point of the final weekend of the Azalea Festival is NATOfest, which is a mini-Expo of Alliance nations. Participating nations each host a tent where national culture is put on display, from cuisine to music. The Canadian kiosk will highlight Canada from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from the Arctic to the U.S. border. The Canadian kiosk will feature various activities, food, and information representative of Canada.

Participation. Canadian military members serving in Norfolk, along with family members, will host the Canadian kiosk at Town Point Park all day Saturday. On the nearby NATOfest stage, First Nations dancer Petty Officer (Second Class) Earl Charters will give hoop dance performances, supported by drummer Mr. Starlight (see Hoop Dance above).

In all, more than 350 Canadian Forces personnel will participate in this year's festival. For the locations, dates, and timings of the above events, please visit www.azaleafestival.org. For information about NATO, visit www.act.nato.int, or call ACT public affairs at (757) 747-3600.