Trinidad and Tobago and Canada are celebrating 59 years of friendship and shared cultural ties.
At a Maple and Thanksgiving event hosted by the Canadian High Commission, representatives from both countries reflected on the enduring relationship and the role that cultural exchange, trade and cooperation play in strengthening bilateral relations.
Canadian High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Ryan Callan, said the relationship extends beyond trade and diplomacy.
“In the Trinbagonian families who have helped build modern Canada, in the Canadians who have made these twin islands their home, and in the thousands of students and entrepreneurs and artists and professionals who move between our countries every day, bringing the best of both to each. In a world of growing uncertainty, relationships like these matter more than ever before.”
Minister of Public Utilities and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Barry Padarath noted that the relationship has endured over the years, built on a foundation of mutual respect and cooperation between the two nations.
“It is that respect for sometimes our differences in approach, for sometimes our differences in opinions is one of the things that stands out most importantly about the way in which Canadians have treated with bilateral relations, multilateral relations, and as we approach the supper table, sometimes there may be discord, there may be disquiet, but the one thing that continues to bind us was told to us by my favourite singer, and I think for many who are present here and around the world, a Canadian, none other than Celine Dion, who told us about the power of love.”
The High Commissioner also expressed gratitude for Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural contributions to Canada, including the introduction of the steelpan.
“Such that it’s now become part of our cultural mosaic. I’m grateful for the many businesswomen and many businessmen who have great plans to invest, to build, to manufacture, to grow. And I’m grateful for what this country has given me personally, from the exuberance of the Carnival Road to the solitude of a Parlatuvier beach to the diverse wisdoms that we get to draw on by visiting your many mosques, churches, and temples.”
The event highlighted how cultural exchange and economic collaboration continue to play a vital role in maintaining strong bilateral ties.