Dear readers,
It’s October, so it’s officially autumn. I hope you were able to enjoy a good summer with some rest and relaxation. At Canada House, the months ahead promise to be quite hectic.
During September, we hosted two big business delegations – one representing the Canadian nuclear power sector and the other covering our defence and security industries.
Both are prime targets for greater collaboration on innovation, trade and investment between Canada and the United Kingdom. Hundreds of Canadian businesses are engaged, along with the Minister for Defence Procurement, Stephen Fuhr. This is all part of Prime Minister Carney’s drive to “build out” the Canadian economy and diversify our markets -to make Canada more resilient and less vulnerable to disruptions coming from the United States or anywhere else.
In early September, we also hosted Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree who attended the annual Ministerial Meetings of the Five Eyes security alliance (Canada, the UK, the US, Australia and New Zealand) being held in London. He also had an excellent bilateral discussion with his new British counterpart, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, in which they discussed border security, child sexual exploitation, counter-terrorism and foreign interference.
Nearly every week in September, our Canada House team has joined many other members of London’s diplomatic corps at the UK’s annual political party conferences – to connect with elected officials from across the spectrum. Given the contentious and volatile nature of British politics, these events provide valuable insights into the comparative strengths and weaknesses of all the politics parties.
In amongst these conferences, I took a few days to travel with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) to Gallipoli (Türkiye) to inspect one of our oldest and most challenging venues for preserving and protecting the graves of those who gave their lives in that brutal theatre of war more than a hundred years ago. Canada’s involvement was through the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. The CWGC is working tirelessly to ensure the dignified memorialization of the fallen – in perpetuity – despite the rugged terrain, the ravages of time, and the impact of climate change, droughts, wildfires, subsidence, erosion and other risks.
As it is in Canada, September is also Terry Fox month in the UK. Close to 1500 people turned out in London’s Battersea Park for the biggest Terry Fox Run in the UK in living memory. There were additional events in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as near the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire. Your participation in all these activities is a meaningful tribute to a genuine Canadian icon, generating thousands of pounds for cancer research in the UK. And there’s more, the second annual Terry Fox Run in Wales will take place on October 5th at Bellevue Park in Wrexham. So sign up, lace up and follow Terry’s footsteps.
Following his bilateral visit to Mexico and his participation at the United Nations General assembly in New York in mid-September, Prime Minister Carney came to London for a conference of progressive national leaders from around the globe, and one-on-one meetings with his counterparts from Australia, Spain, Iceland and the United Kingdom. His bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer focused on building deeper and more extensive economic and security partnerships with the UK. PM Carney also met with a group of global investors to encourage more foreign direct investment in Canada.
While in London, the Prime Minister also took the opportunity to cheer on the Canadian National Team at the Women’s World Rugby Championships. They finished an outstanding second, just behind the Brits, and our Sophie de Goede was named “player of the year” in women’s rugby. Congratulations!
For Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30th), we were joined at Canada House by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, David Morrison, for a solemn flag raising. We honour the survivors of residential schools, remember those who never returned home, and recommit ourselves to the path of reconciliation.
Looking ahead, may I wish you all a Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Day on October 13th. And I will look forward to seeing many Canadians at the annual Remembrance Day ceremonies in November, both in London and at Brookwood Cemetery.
Best regards,
Ralph G.
High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom
