<r>And can I just say, if you ever come to Canada and are close and have never been to Quebec City... Everyone would love it. It's absolutely enchanting. <br/>
<br/>
Happy Birthday Quebec City (Older than both of our great nations Canada and The U.S. of A. )<br/>
<br/>
<B><s></s>Canadian cities join Quebec City's 400th birthday celebrations<e></e></B><br/>
<br/>
1 hour ago<br/>
<br/>
QUEBEC — <B><s></s>Belfries across Canada shook in unison Thursday as hundreds of churches helped ring in the 400th birthday of historic Quebec City.<e></e></B><br/>
<B><s></s>Prime Minister Stephen Harper praised the provincial capital as the country's most beautiful city as he and a slew of other dignitaries celebrated the anniversary.<e></e></B><br/>
<br/>
Harper, Premier Jean Charest, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon were just some of the politicians to give brief speeches at a ceremony marking the day 400 years ago that Samuel de Champlain dropped anchor below the bluffs of what was to become Old Quebec.<br/>
<br/>
"1608 is a historical date for you, for the province of Quebec and for all of Canada because July 3, 1608 - exactly 400 years ago today - really marks the beginning of what we have become today," Harper told those assembled at the foot of an imposing statue of the famed French explorer.<br/>
<br/>
"Fellow Canadians, I may have grown up in Toronto, I may have decided to live in Calgary with my family, and I may work in Ottawa, but they say all Canadians must have two cities in his or her heart: their own and Quebec City.<br/>
<br/>
"Because it is the most beautiful city in Canada, the most charming - a city that radiates 'joie de vivre'."<br/>
<br/>
Hundreds of Canadian cities also joined the party, including the nation's capital.<br/>
<br/>
From the Peace Tower to churches - even at some fire halls across Ottawa - bells rang out at 11 a.m. ET to mark Quebec City's birthday.<br/>
<br/>
In Regina, church bells across the city rang 11 times and were followed by 400 seconds of wishing Quebec City a happy anniversary.<br/>
<br/>
Organizers hoped up to 4,000 churches and other places across the country would take part in the synchronized musical commemoration.<br/>
<br/>
The speakers at the ceremony in Quebec City steered clear of touchy political declarations, but Harper took the opportunity to make reference to the "Quebecois nation" in his speech.<br/>
<br/>
"The seeds planted here 400 years ago today have blossomed into a magnificent city, a strong and proud Quebecois nation, and a great Canadian country, strong and free," he said. "What an amazing legacy."<br/>
<br/>
There have been some complaints by separatists in Quebec about the federal government's intense involvement in the 400th anniversary celebrations.<br/>
<br/>
But the Conservative government - and organizers of celebratory events in Quebec City - have maintained the anniversary is not just for Quebec City, or the province, but for the whole country.<br/>
<br/>
The French prime minister, meanwhile, said the arrival of Champlain's vessels ensured France's presence in North America over the last 400 years.<br/>
"Like the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria of Christopher Columbus, they opened our world," Fillon told audience members who clutched transparent umbrellas to fend off the steady rain.<br/>
<br/>
"For the men and women who accompanied him (Champlain) during the first days of Quebec, France grew larger without division; it stretched without bursting."<br/>
<br/>
The speeches were followed by a parade of soldiers and police officers dressed in military garb from different historical eras.<br/>
The procession was met by dozens of raucous antiwar protesters who descended on the city to voice their opposition to Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.<br/>
<br/>
The demonstrators, many who travelled from Montreal, booed parade participants, including troops, grey-haired veterans and children, as they marched through the gates of the fortified city.<br/>
<br/>
Provincial and city police in full riot gear kept close watch by flanking much of the route. No arrests were reported.<br/>
<br/>
Other parade-watchers tried to drown out the demonstration by cheering even louder in support of the soldiers.<br/>
<br/>
"It was very interesting to see all the various services coming together in one parade," said a man who travelled from Sussex, England, for the festivities.<br/>
<br/>
"But also. . . that they were recognizing what the armed forces had done more recently. They deserve to be recognized."<br/>
<br/>
Quebec City kicked off its year-long birthday party at the start of 2008.<br/>
Concerts, acrobats and dancers performed across the city during Thursday's celebration. A massive, 30-minute fireworks display was expected to cap off the bash just before midnight.<br/>
<br/>
Some activities that were to follow the speeches and the parade in Quebec City were cancelled because of persistent rain.<br/>
<br/>
<B><s></s>The partying will continue into the summer with several concerts, including a performance by Paul McCartney on the Plains of Abraham on July 20 and another by Celine Dion at the same venue on Aug. 22.<e></e></B></r>
<br/>
Happy Birthday Quebec City (Older than both of our great nations Canada and The U.S. of A. )<br/>
<br/>
<B><s></s>Canadian cities join Quebec City's 400th birthday celebrations<e></e></B><br/>
<br/>
1 hour ago<br/>
<br/>
QUEBEC — <B><s></s>Belfries across Canada shook in unison Thursday as hundreds of churches helped ring in the 400th birthday of historic Quebec City.<e></e></B><br/>
<B><s></s>Prime Minister Stephen Harper praised the provincial capital as the country's most beautiful city as he and a slew of other dignitaries celebrated the anniversary.<e></e></B><br/>
<br/>
Harper, Premier Jean Charest, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon were just some of the politicians to give brief speeches at a ceremony marking the day 400 years ago that Samuel de Champlain dropped anchor below the bluffs of what was to become Old Quebec.<br/>
<br/>
"1608 is a historical date for you, for the province of Quebec and for all of Canada because July 3, 1608 - exactly 400 years ago today - really marks the beginning of what we have become today," Harper told those assembled at the foot of an imposing statue of the famed French explorer.<br/>
<br/>
"Fellow Canadians, I may have grown up in Toronto, I may have decided to live in Calgary with my family, and I may work in Ottawa, but they say all Canadians must have two cities in his or her heart: their own and Quebec City.<br/>
<br/>
"Because it is the most beautiful city in Canada, the most charming - a city that radiates 'joie de vivre'."<br/>
<br/>
Hundreds of Canadian cities also joined the party, including the nation's capital.<br/>
<br/>
From the Peace Tower to churches - even at some fire halls across Ottawa - bells rang out at 11 a.m. ET to mark Quebec City's birthday.<br/>
<br/>
In Regina, church bells across the city rang 11 times and were followed by 400 seconds of wishing Quebec City a happy anniversary.<br/>
<br/>
Organizers hoped up to 4,000 churches and other places across the country would take part in the synchronized musical commemoration.<br/>
<br/>
The speakers at the ceremony in Quebec City steered clear of touchy political declarations, but Harper took the opportunity to make reference to the "Quebecois nation" in his speech.<br/>
<br/>
"The seeds planted here 400 years ago today have blossomed into a magnificent city, a strong and proud Quebecois nation, and a great Canadian country, strong and free," he said. "What an amazing legacy."<br/>
<br/>
There have been some complaints by separatists in Quebec about the federal government's intense involvement in the 400th anniversary celebrations.<br/>
<br/>
But the Conservative government - and organizers of celebratory events in Quebec City - have maintained the anniversary is not just for Quebec City, or the province, but for the whole country.<br/>
<br/>
The French prime minister, meanwhile, said the arrival of Champlain's vessels ensured France's presence in North America over the last 400 years.<br/>
"Like the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria of Christopher Columbus, they opened our world," Fillon told audience members who clutched transparent umbrellas to fend off the steady rain.<br/>
<br/>
"For the men and women who accompanied him (Champlain) during the first days of Quebec, France grew larger without division; it stretched without bursting."<br/>
<br/>
The speeches were followed by a parade of soldiers and police officers dressed in military garb from different historical eras.<br/>
The procession was met by dozens of raucous antiwar protesters who descended on the city to voice their opposition to Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.<br/>
<br/>
The demonstrators, many who travelled from Montreal, booed parade participants, including troops, grey-haired veterans and children, as they marched through the gates of the fortified city.<br/>
<br/>
Provincial and city police in full riot gear kept close watch by flanking much of the route. No arrests were reported.<br/>
<br/>
Other parade-watchers tried to drown out the demonstration by cheering even louder in support of the soldiers.<br/>
<br/>
"It was very interesting to see all the various services coming together in one parade," said a man who travelled from Sussex, England, for the festivities.<br/>
<br/>
"But also. . . that they were recognizing what the armed forces had done more recently. They deserve to be recognized."<br/>
<br/>
Quebec City kicked off its year-long birthday party at the start of 2008.<br/>
Concerts, acrobats and dancers performed across the city during Thursday's celebration. A massive, 30-minute fireworks display was expected to cap off the bash just before midnight.<br/>
<br/>
Some activities that were to follow the speeches and the parade in Quebec City were cancelled because of persistent rain.<br/>
<br/>
<B><s></s>The partying will continue into the summer with several concerts, including a performance by Paul McCartney on the Plains of Abraham on July 20 and another by Celine Dion at the same venue on Aug. 22.<e></e></B></r>
