Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Another task for the Canadian contingent was to promote the 2010 Games, Vancouver and surrounding region, the province of British Columbia, as well as Canada as a nation.Meanwhile, Clara Hughes tied the old mark of 5 career Olympic medals, held by Marc Gagnon and Phil Edwards.Russ Howard was designated the skip by World Curling Federation rules, but Gushue threw last stones, and was considered to be the team leader.[6] : Shannon Kleibrink (skip), Amy Nixon, Glenys Bakker, Christine Keshen, Sandra Jenkins (alternate) Shannon Kleibrink's rink finished third in the round-robin at the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, then won the semifinal over Stefanie Lawton and the final over Kelly Scott to secure the Olympic berth.Dale Begg-Smith, who won gold in men's moguls for Australia, was born in Canada and holds dual citizenship.[8] Defenceman Dan Boyle and forwards Jason Spezza and Eric Staal were selected as "reserves" in case of injury before the tournament began.Cross-country skier Beckie Scott, bobsledder Pierre Lueders, long-track speedskaters Cindy Klassen and Clara Hughes all said that they would not submit their names to carry the flag.Others, including past flag bearer Catriona Le May Doan spoke in favour of their decisions, saying that the opening ceremonies were a long process and took a lot of energy.After winning five medals (more than any other Canadian at a Winter Games), Cindy Klassen accepted the selection as the flag bearer for the closing ceremonies.Aside from showcasing Canadian culture, the building would host meetings for companies from British Columbia and Italy who would be interested to develop business partnerships.This included a choreographed program featuring Avril Lavigne, raising of the Canadian flag, and singing of O Canada by opera star Ben Heppner, himself a B.C.British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, himself a Vancouver native, and Governor General Michaëlle Jean attended the Games' competitions and closing ceremonies.A number of Canadian citizens with dual citizenship have competed for other countries and served as their respective flag bearers: In Ottawa, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement that the Olympic flame had begun the journey to Vancouver.