Juan David Latorre
“After almost four years, I believe I have the right to be proud of the progress of our bilateral relations. This is how Ambassador Wendy Drukier began her speech at last Thursday’s Canada Day celebration.
Wendy Drukier, referred to the achievements in bilateral relations between Spain and Canada and highlighted “the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the entry into force of CETA, our trade agreement with the European Union, and 70 years of our joint diplomatic presence. In fact, he pointed out, today I want to celebrate the conclusion of the agreement between the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Canadian Commercial Corporation for the purchase of 7 Canadian firefighting aircraft”.
Spain has been a fundamental pillar for us within the European Union,” she said. Last April we held the third round of annual bilateral consultations between our respective Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs, and a couple of weeks ago we had the honour of receiving the Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne. Both visits reaffirmed the importance of our bilateral cooperation and underlined the strength of our relationship and our commitment to work together in the face of global challenges.”
Wendy Drukier was equally proud also of “the work we have done on equality, women’s leadership, the promotion of women in STEM, LGTBIQ+ rights, diversity and inclusion, indigenous peoples and reconciliation, and migration and refugee issues.”
With respect to international conflicts, the Ambassador noted that “Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the profound human suffering caused by the Israel-Hamas conflict, the growing tensions between the West and China, and the difficulty of the multilateral system to address these challenges together, make it more important than ever to have close partners, partners who share the same values and goals. Canada and Spain share a common vision of international relations, both economically and commercially, as well as in the promotion of a rules-based international order, the protection of human rights, the fight against climate change and the search for a clean and secure energy future”.
Specifically on the economic front, Wendy Drukier noted that the CETA trade agreement “has been a real revolution for our bilateral trade in recent years. The figures are certainly impressive, our bilateral trade has grown by more than 90% since the ratification of CETA. Today I want to highlight what is behind this agreement: Spanish companies in large infrastructure tenders in Canada, Canadian agri-food products reaching our shelves, electric bicycles manufactured by a Canadian company on Madrid’s Gran Via, and I could go on with many more examples. But undoubtedly the most important thing that this agreement has given us is the enormous visibility of Canada in Spain and vice versa”.
“Canada is now part of Pillar II of the Horizon Europe Programme, and this will mean an exponential increase in our research and innovation collaborations. We know that technology centres in Canada and Spain are pioneers in many areas, such as new technologies, bio-products and agricultural technologies.
“There are some 130 Spanish multinationals in Canada,” said the Canadian Ambassador, “employing more than 8,700 Canadians and contributing almost 3.7 billion Canadian dollars to the economy. And that figure is growing all the time. Our commercial team continues to work in this direction and in October we are organising an Investment Roadshow, where Spanish companies will be able to connect with provincial delegates and Canadian investment attraction agencies”. Wendy Drukier encouraged attendees to attend the event “to learn about all that Canada has to offer”.
Finally, the Canadian ambassador wanted to highlight the cultural relationship between Spain and her country. “There is enormous interest on both sides of the Atlantic in continuing to deepen cultural and educational exchanges, noted the ambassador. I hope that we will soon be able to see joint fiction co-productions and that, in the not so distant future, we will see the Nao San Juan, a replica of the 16th century Basque whaler found in Canadian waters, arrive on the shores of Labrador.”
Ambassador Wendy described this year as a bit special “because it is my last as Canada’s ambassador to Spain. My family has enjoyed the rich culture, warmth, hospitality and good weather in Spain. Spain has been a work destination but it has also become a home away from home. We have made unforgettable memories and I have met friends and professionals that I will always remember.
