Winners of the 11th Annual Mathieu Da Costa Challenge

HALIFAX, April 20, 2007 - The Honourable Jason Kenney, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity), today presented awards to the winners of this year's Mathieu Da Costa Challenge at a ceremony held at Dalhousie University's Rebecca Cohn Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The attendance of Lieutenant Governor Mayann E. Francis, O.N.S., the Queen's representative in Nova Scotia, is a poignant reminder that under the maple Crown, there is, as the old loyalist motto had it, "unity in diversity."

The Mathieu Da Costa Challenge is a national creative writing and artwork contest for youth aged 9 to 18. To participate, young people must submit creative writing or artwork that celebrates the contributions made by Canadians of Aboriginal, African and other backgrounds to the building of Canada.

"Today, we pay tribute to the creative expression of ten young people who, with their words and images, celebrate Canada's pluralistic society," said Secretary of State Kenney. "In 2007, we are delighted to bring the Mathieu Da Costa Challenge to Halifax, the region where Mathieu Da Costa himself landed some 400 years ago."

The Challenge takes its name from Mathieu Da Costa, the first recorded Black person to set foot in what would become Canada. A navigator and interpreter of African descent, Da Costa is believed to have travelled extensively throughout the Atlantic world in the late 1500s and early 1600s. He helped bridge the gap between early French explorers, such as Samuel de Champlain, and Aboriginal people.

The 2007 Mathieu Da Costa Challenge was organized and financed by the Department of Canadian Heritage through its Multiculturalism Program, in partnership with the Historica Foundation of Canada, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and the Delta Halifax. This year, 1075 entries were received from across Canada.

The winners of the 11th Mathieu Da Costa Challenge Awards are:

Best creative writing in English:
Martina Heerah, from Winnipeg, Manitoba (age 9 to 12 category)
James Maksymetz, from Maple Ridge, British Columbia (age 13 to 15 category)
Reba Timbrell, from Ingleside, Ontario (age 16 to 18 category)

Best creative writing in French:
Madeleine Malone, from Nepean, Ontario (age 9 to 12 category)
Shana Girard, from Summerland, British Columbia (age 13 to 15 category)
Emmanuelle Christina Georges, from Whitby, Ontario (age 16 to 18 category)

Best artwork:
Lindsay Yates, from Toronto, Ontario (age 9 to 12 category)
Phil Duffenais, from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (age 13 to 15 category)
Julie Lee, from Mississauga, Ontario (age 13 to 15 category)
Ada Wassink, from London, Ontario (age 16 to 18 category)

For more information on the Mathieu Da Costa Challenge, visit:
www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/mathieudacosta


Information:

Alykhan Velshi
Senior Special Assistant
Office of the Secretary of State (Multiculturalism & Canadian Identity)
819 934-1122

Donald Boulanger
A/Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819 994-9101

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