French President Nicolas Sarkozy delivered strong words of support for Canada Thursday.
"The future of Canada and of France will be the future of two countries, not simply allies, but friends," he said at a ceremony honouring fallen Canadian soldiers. Standing with Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, he said he would like to "bring together" Quebec and Canada.
The Governor General is on a five day visit to France as part of a celebration of Quebec City's 400th anniversary. The Bloc Quebecois denounced her visit Wednesday in the House of Commons, complaining that she represented the monarchy.
Sarkozy didn't address the controversy directly, but he said, "You know we are very close to Quebec, but I'll tell you we also love Canada very much."
"Our friendships and our loyalties do not oppose one another. We bring them together so each can understand what we have in common. We will turn toward the future so the future of Canada and France will be the future of two countries that are not only allies, but two friends."
Sarkozy's support for Canada went much further than words offered by previous governments, and they appeared to be antithetical to former President Charles de Gaulle's 1967 "Vive le Québec libre" declamation.
De Gaulle's words have lived in infamy for years, with many Canadians seeing them as a betrayal of Canadian soldiers who had fought to liberate France during the Second World War.
Speaking at the Canadian cemetery at Beny-Reviers in Normandy, Sarkozy thanked Canadian soldiers for their sacrifice.
"And those who died here, no one asked them from which region (of Canada) they came," Sarkozy said.
"We knew from which country they came. We didn't even ask them which language they spoke."
