We set out on our recent State visits in the hopes of strengthening our transatlantic ties. My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I, along with a dynamic and diverse Canadian delegation, visited three countries in Central Europe: Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovenia was the fourth country on the program, but unfortunately, we were unable to do more than a brief stopover. I had to cut my visit short because of the political situation in Canada.

The bridges between Canada and Europe are built on a number of key pillars. First, our historical ties with these countries, including many of their citizens who, fleeing the famines of the 19th century and the repression of the Soviet regime in the 1950s and 1960s, found safe harbour on our shores and a place to put down roots. Our co-operation within international organizations and multilateral missions has been productive, as are our bilateral relations in a number of sectors. Recently, our governments signed mobility agreements, and Canada lifted the mandatory visa for Hungarian, Czech and Slovak citizens, which has opened up opportunities and allows for a greater flow of people, goods, experiences, expertise, knowledge and ideas.

The program for these visits included meetings and formal, official discussions with the heads of State and government, the presidents of parliamentary assemblies, various political representatives, mayors and governors, military authorities, and members of the diplomatic corps. To this, we added numerous opportunities for dialogue with civil society, youth, community and spiritual leaders, and community, cultural, academic and business representatives. We took our Art Matters forums and Youth Dialogues with us to Hungary and the Czech Republic. These discussions gave us the opportunity to broaden our understanding of the realities and challenges facing this region of Europe and to put them in perspective and compare them to our own experiences and realities here in Canada. The contribution of the delegates helped us to forge new ties, create new networks and lay the foundation for future collaboration. We need to focus on this kind of diplomacy on a human scale and on the strength of cultural diplomacy.

The issues most often raised during these discussions with the public dealt with the integration of minorities and the strengthening of social ties in diversity. They are interested in the Canadian point of view: our experience, our approaches, our structures, our resources, our laws, and our grassroots initiatives. This region of Europe has been profoundly shaped by History, totalitarian regimes, devastating wars, population shifts, and borders that have been drawn and redrawn. Today, all of these countries belong to the concert of nations that have come together in peace and stability within the European Union. These modern, dynamic and determined societies have succeeded in stabilizing their economies, carving out their rightful place in world markets, restructuring their institutions, and re-establishing the rule of law and democracy. They are building their future on the need to learn from a rich and complex past. 

The blogs written by the delegates and citizens we met along the way allow you to see how the visits unfolded and to gain an insider’s perspective on the concerns, discussions and discoveries.

I hope that they will inspire you and encourage you to explore the many possibilities and to strengthen and enrich our ties with these peoples of Europe.