Presentation of Credentials (Nepal, Panama,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paraguay)

Rideau Hall, January 12, 2010

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Rideau Hall as we begin a new year that promises athletic excellence, friendship and peace.

Exactly one month from now, the Olympic flame will be lit in this northern country we call Canada. The 21st Olympic Winter Games will open in Vancouver, British Columbia, followed one month later by the 10th Paralympic Winter Games. We are ready. All we need now, and are praying for, is more snow!

We hope you will join us in making these Games not only an opportunity for the athletes to shine, but also a celebration of the friendship between peoples.

What Olympism and diplomacy have in common is that they are both powerful instruments for bringing people together and initiating dialogue between nations, as they focus on the values that unite us rather than the borders that separate us.

That is why I believe they are so important at a time when challenges are becoming global and require an international approach.

Of course, the issues we are now facing also require cooperation and opportunities for partnerships.

Ambassador Escobar Pedreschi, throughout the Americas, new alliances are being created, new coalitions of interest are being forged, and Canada intends to take part in this movement.

Your country has undergone remarkable development over the past twenty years on both the political and economic fronts and is now one of the most stable democracies in Central America and the Caribbean.

Our countries share similar points of view and work together on issues as diverse as free trade, security, human rights and regional stability in Haiti.

For example, we are delighted with the progress that has been made in terms of an impending free-trade agreement and the recent opening of a centre for peace and security at the Canadian embassy in Panama City.

As you know, in my recent State visits to Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica, the focus was on the need to consider strengthening joint continent-wide strategies to fight organized crime, which knows no borders and threatens our communities. Welcome, Your Excellency.

Canada is happy to be able to count on the Republic of Panama, a key partner in the region, to increase security and prosperity, and to encourage democratization efforts across the continent.

It is in this same perspective, Ambassador Schaerer Kanonnikoff, that Canada would like to strengthen its ties with Paraguay.

In the 1920s, a Canadian Mennonite community settled in Paraguay. This community contributed to your country’s growth and helped build bridges between our two nations. It is estimated that there are currently over 9,000 Mennonites in Paraguay who hold Canadian citizenship.

More recently, our cooperation in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and your country’s participation in the Canadian Military Training Assistance Programme have given our relationship new momentum.

We are very interested in the social and economic program put forth by the government of Paraguay. We salute your approach, which is based on dialogue and consensus, as well as all the efforts that have been made in the last few years to ensure the success of the transition towards democracy.

Ambassador Gutic-Bjelica, Canada remains deeply committed to promoting the democratization process being undertaken in a number of countries, not only in the Americas, but around the world.

Last October, I travelled to south-eastern Europe—to Croatia, Slovenia and Greece more specifically. There is no doubt that people across the entire region have vowed to follow the paths of reconciliation and peace.

Their progress is visible, and security has stabilized to the point that Bosnia-Herzegovina can hope to ensure its development and look to the future with confidence.

Canada is proud to have played a role in areas as essential as health, the maintenance of order, demining, judicial reform and human rights.

We sincerely support the efforts being made by your people to create a stable society that is rich in its diversity and peace, within and beyond its borders.

Our country is hopeful as we support Bosnia-Herzegovina’s integration into Euro-Atlantic and international institutions.

Although democracy has made huge strides in all regions of the world, it cannot be taken for granted and must be strengthened everywhere it is established.

Ambassador Ghimire, Canada enthusiastically welcomes the willingness of the Nepalese people to continue the democratization process they have begun in a peaceful and sustainable manner.

As you know, we are especially concerned with the fate of the Bhutanese refugees who Nepal has generously agreed to welcome. We want to continue working with you and the international community to find a lasting solution to this humanitarian problem, which has lasted over twenty years.

Canada is delighted that Nepal has decided to open an embassy here and sees this as a sign of an even more productive relationship between our countries.

On a more personal note, I hope, Excellency, that we will have the privilege of discovering your musical and literary creations and that you will have the opportunity to become more familiar with Canadian music and poetry during your appointment.

Rest assured, Excellencies, that Canada is committed to working with all of you, in a spirit of sharing and openness, to forge partnerships that will bring prosperity to our respective populations and the entire world. 

In keeping with Olympic ideals, my wish is for universally shared values to triumph, for the well-being of all of humanity.

To friendship, solidarity, youth and excellence!