Czechs and Canadians celebrate Canada Day in Prague
On June 25, Canadian embassy officials, dignitaries, and friends met at the Kaiserstein Palace in Prague to preemptively celebrate Canada Day, which is on July 1. Guests at the event highlighted the strong bonds between the two countries and the special need for transatlantic unity as Russia’s war on Ukraine continues.
“We have so much in common, from our mutual love of hockey to our belief in human rights and democracy. We also know that relationships and friendships matter. As I said at the outset our people-to-people ties are the fundamental underpinning of the Canada-Czech relationship. I’m looking forward to a productive year ahead where we continue to work as friends, partners, and allies. Happy Canada Day. Bonne fête du Canada. Užijte si Den Kanady.”
Ambassador McLaughlin there welcoming Czech and Canadian guests to the celebration in Prague. Among those present were the US ambassador to Prague, Bijan Sabet, Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Jan Marián, members of the Canadian community in Prague, and others.
Ambassador McLaughlin, who took up her post in Prague in August 2023, commented on the special bond Czechs often have with Canadians from their shared history of migration:
“So often when I meet Czechs here they say that they have a Canadian family member. Or you meet Canadians who have a Czech link. So, that really comes from the immigration over the years and people moving back and forth and maintaining ties with both countries.
“For me, it’s really about relationships. It’s about the ties that bind us, meeting people. So, the buildings are amazing, the history is amazing, but really it comes down to the people you meet, the bonds you form, and the understanding you can come to by speaking to people and getting to know their perspective, their point of view.”
Given the global security concerns of the present day, the Ambassador highlighted the close cooperation between the two countries in defense structures, energy, and cyber security — all of which are reflected in her mandate in Prague.
“I can speak about the work we do together in NATO. It’s very important for both of us; we’re allies in that platform. The Russian aggression against Ukraine is really the key issue we are tackling within the NATO forum as well as the U.N., so working together with them in these various multilateral institutions is important.
“More on the trade and economic side, we are looking at energy security. We are talking about cyber security, AI, a lot of the advanced digital technologies that are out there, countering disinformation, media freedom. There are a whole host of areas where we are going to be working together. Certainly on the cultural front as well. I’m hoping to do more work in that space, but there are so many ways that we can work together and it’s really a rewarding relationship with Czechia for us.”
