October 7, 2021

OTTAWA, Ontario– At the request of the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Their Excellencies the Right Honourable Mary May Simon, Governor General of Canada, and Mr. Whit Fraser will undertake a State visit to the Federal Republic of Germany from October 17 to October 21, 2021, which will include stops in Berlin and Frankfurt.

The focus of the visit will be to strengthen bilateral relations between Canada and Germany and represent Canada at the world’s largest publishing trade show, the Frankfurt Book Fair, at which Canada is this year’s “Guest of Honour.”

In Berlin, Her Excellency’s program will include meetings with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the Governing Mayor of Berlin.

In Frankfurt, the Governor General will open the Book Fair and tour the Canadian Pavilion. The theme of Canada’s Guest of Honour year is ‘Singular Plurality – Singulier Pluriel,’ an expression meant to capture Canada’s culture of diversity, where each of us is unique but connected as a whole both by our differences and by our shared values.

As the Guest of Honour, Canada will have the opportunity to showcase its publishing industry and the immense contribution of our authors and artists on the world stage. Canada will also promote the sale of Canadian titles at a time when we look to stimulate our arts and literature sector, which was particularly hard hit during the pandemic.

Quick facts

• This will be Her Excellency’s first international as Governor General. The last Governor General to undertake a State visit to Germany was the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson in 2001.
• The Governor General plays an important role in Canada’s international relations by travelling abroad on State visits, like this one, to strengthen Canada’s relationships with the world and to promote Canadian excellence.
• The annual Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair) hosted close to 300,000 visitors on average, before the pandemic. Since 1949, it has served as a hub for the global exchange of ideas through literature and other cultural content.
• Their Excellencies and the accompanying delegation and staff will undertake a COVID-19 PCR test prior to their return to Canada.
• As one of the lead negotiators for the creation of the international Arctic Council, Her Excellency helped build the foundation where both countries, Canada as an Arctic state and Germany as a permanent observer on the Council, now collaborate on Arctic projects focused on climate action, Arctic biodiversity and sustainability.

   

Media information
Rideau Hall Press Office
343-573-7563
media@gg.ca

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