Sophie Grgoire-Trudeau showcases her singing chops at Ottawa MLK event

During a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. today at Ottawa City Hall,Sophie Grgoire-Trudeaushared personal stories of playing with her children in the snow, and spoke at length about how important it is for all of us to love our differences, beforeclosing her speech by singing a song she wrote for her daughter.

"This is not planned, trust me," she said, before explaining that she wrote the tune for Ella-Graceduring what she describes as "a difficult time" in her life. She said the song, SmileBack at Me,remindsher of all the hope there is in her life.

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When she finished the short song her performance was met with a standing ovation from the audience, including former prime minister Joe Clark.

Grgoire-Trudeau was a guest speaker at Monday's event, which also honouredClark with the DreamKeepers lifetime achievement awardfor his leadership in the fight against apartheid and for his work on aboriginal justice.

DreamKeepers is an Ottawa based group that has been holding award ceremonies at Ottawa City Hall since 2004. Past winners includeformer governor general Michalle Jean in 2014andMichael (Pinball)Clemons in 2015

Martin Luther King Day is an American holiday to mark the birthday of the slain civil rights leader and is held on the third Monday in January each year.

Power Panel: Sophie's song

9 years ago

Duration 3:56

The Power Panel discusses Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau's appearance at a Martin Luther King Day event at Ottawa City Hall