Ambassador Ishikawa’s Official Visit to Quebec
Ambassador Ishikawa conducted an official visit to the province of Quebec, visiting Quebec City and Montreal from March 15 to 18.
During his trip to Quebec City, he made courtesy calls to various dignitaries including the Honourable Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec; the Honourable Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, Minister of International Relations; members of the Provincial Cabinet; the Honourable Yvon Vallières, the Speaker of the National Assembly; the Honourable Pauline Marois, the leader of opposition; and members of the Provincial Parliament.
During his stay in Montreal, he met with the Honourable Gérald Tremblay, Mayor of Montreal; Dr. Heather Monroe-Blum, principal of McGill University; and other dignitaries. Ambassador Ishikawa also delivered a speech before CORIM (Le Conseil des relations internationales de Montréal) and was interviewed by media outlets.
Ambassador Ishikawa expressed his deep gratitude for the messages of sympathy and encouragement related to the Great East Japan Earthquake that he received from residents of Quebec including the Honourable Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec; the Quebec Government, and members of the Provincial Parliament.
During Ambassador Ishikawa’s visit to the National Assembly, a moment of silence was offered to remember the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Furthermore, a motion of solidarity for the Japanese people was adopted followed by heartfelt speeches supporting the motion by the Honourable Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec and party leaders of the three opposition parties. The unanimous adoption by members of the National Assembly showed strong support for Japan by the province of Quebec which Ambassador Ishikawa was grateful for.
Ambassador Ishikawa also visited the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre of Montreal (JCCCM) where he met Mr. Donald Hiroshi Watanabe, the JCCCM President, as well as Japanese nationals and Japanese Canadians who currently reside in Montreal. He was encouraged by the efforts that they have been making to help rebuild Japan.
During his trip to Quebec, Ambassador Ishikawa was able to thank people in Quebec who offered condolences and encouragement. He also had an opportunity to explain the current situation of the earthquake disaster as well as to inform people in Quebec that the Japanese people are calmly working together to rebuild the country with the support of people in foreign counties. He thought it was a considerable achievement that he was able to reaffirm the further strengthening of relations between Japan and Quebec with members of the government of Quebec, members of the Provincial Parliament, intellectuals, Japanese nationals, and Japanese Canadians.
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