Your Excellencies, honoured guests , Michener finalists , Mesdames et Messieurs.
On behalf of all the directors of the Michener Awards Foundation, may I express our thanks to her Excellency for again hosting this presentation ceremony.
II nous fait très grand plaisir et fait honneur de même a la profession entière. Merci beaucoup, madame.
This is the nineteenth such ceremony recognizing meritorious and disinterested public service in journalism.
Three years ago the Foundation offered for the first time, as further encouragement of high standards, four-month study-leave fellowships for mature journalists interested in increasing their competence.
We have one of the fellowship winners with us today. May I ask Kristina von Hlatky of St. Lambert, Quebec, to stand. Kristina has been a contract producer for the outstanding Radio Canada public affairs program, Le Point, for six years. She plans to use the fellowship for an intensive study of public policy on abortion in Canada.
At this point, may I call on the man who has been such an inspiration in the development of this whole program, in whose name the awards were established in 1970 - the Founding Patron, the Right Honourable Roland Michener.
Thank you, Mr. Michener.
May I call now on Fraser MacDougall, chairman of the board of judges for the Michener Award, and Gail Scott, one of our Foundation directors and a member of the board of judges. They will report on the judges' findings. Mr. MacDougall and Mrs. Scott.
Paul Deacon
President
Michener Awards Foundation
Rideau Hall, Ottawa
November 16, 1989