Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Elke Büdenbender have traveled to Canada for an official visit from 23 to 27 April at the invitation of Governor General Mary Simon. With his trip to Ottawa, Vancouver and the Arctic, the Federal President paid tribute to the close partnership between Canada and Germany, as well as the cooperation between two liberal democracies, which are tackling the challenges of our time together: from security policy and resilience to the energy transition and climate change. The Federal President was accompanied by Bettina Stark-Watzinger, the Federal Minister of Education and Research, and a delegation composed of members of Parliament, as well as representatives of the business, academic and cultural communities. This was the Federal President’s first visit to Canada in his political career.

In the capital Ottawa on 23 and 24 April, the Federal President met Governor General Mary Simon and had political talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He also talked to parliamentarians and representatives of civil society. During a public discussion with students, the Federal President and Prime Minister Trudeau looked at current challenges facing democracy. The second day in Ottawa closed with an evening of culture at the National Arts Centre.

On 25 April, the Federal President traveled on to the port city of Vancouver on Canada’s West Coast to learn more about Canada’s Pacific orientation. To that end, he joined the Premier of British Columbia on a tour of the port and speak to representatives of the local business community. During a guided tour of a fuel cell manufacturer and a visit to see smart energy systems at the University of British Columbia, the focus was on economic and technological cooperation between the two countries.

On the last day of the trip, on 26 April, the Federal President was the guest of Governor General Mary Simon in her homeland in the far north of Canada. Starting off in Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, they traveled together to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean coast. There representatives of the Inuit community described the impact of climate change on the Arctic. Coastal erosion and the melting of the permafrost are jeopardising the ecosystem and the livelihood of the Inuit and are aggravating global warming. Joint German-Canadian research projects on the ground, headed by Inuit, are aimed at strengthening the Inuit’s adaptive capacity and at mitigating the consequences of climate change.

Overview of the programme:

Sunday, 23 April

• Flight to Ottawa
• Ottawa, Residence of the Governor General, Rideau Hall
  Welcome by Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada
• Talks with the Governor General of Canada
• National War Memorial, Confederation Square
  Wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
• Restaurant Métropolitain
  Dinner with members of Canadian civil society

Monday 24 April

• Parliament Hill
  Welcome by Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
• Signing the visitors’ books of the Senate and the House of Commons
• Talks with the Prime Minister of Canada
• Welcome by George Furey, Speaker of the Senate, and Anthony Rota, Speaker of the House of Commons, followed by talks
• University of Ottawa
  Participate in the discussion Keeping Democracy Strong – Hopes, Expectations, Resiliency with the Prime Minister of Canada and students
• Residence of the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Canada
  Lunch together with the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon
• National Arts Centre
  Attend a concert in honour of the Governor General with an address by the Federal President
• Reception hosted by the Federal President
• Flight to Vancouver

Tuesday, 25 April

• Cellcentric Fuel Cell Canada
  Visit the fuel cell manufacturer
• Delegation hotel
  Discussion with representatives of the German and Canadian business community
• Harbour
  Boat tour of the harbour with David Eby, Premier of British Columbia
• University of British Columbia
  Tour of a pilot for smart energy systems and presentation of research projects by students from various faculties

Wednesday, 26 April

• Flight to Yellowknife
• Joint Task Force North Headquarters of the Canadian Armed Forces
  Briefing on the tasks of the armed forces in northern Canada and in the waters of the Arctic Ocean
  together with Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada
• Flight to Tuktoyaktuk
• Welcome by representatives of the hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk together with the Governor General of Canada
• Tour of the hamlet and the coast
• Reception hosted by representatives of the Tuktoyaktuk hamlet
• Flight to Berlin

Thursday, 27 April

• Arrival in Berlin