State visit to the Federal Republic of Germany

October 17 to 21, 2021

At the request of the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Their Excellencies the Right Honourable Mary May Simon, Governor General of Canada, and Mr. Fraser undertook a State visit to the Federal Republic of Germany from October 17 to October 21, 2021, which included stops in Berlin and Frankfurt.

The focus of the visit was to strengthen bilateral relations between Canada and Germany and represent Canada at the world’s largest publishing trade show, the Frankfurt Book Fair, at which Canada was this year’s “Guest of Honour.”

October 17, 2021

Upon their arrival in Berlin, Their Excellencies and the Canadian delegation were greeted by German and Canadian officials.

October 18, 2021

In the morning, the Governor General met with His Excellency Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany. Upon arrival, Their Excellencies signed the guest book and were greeted with a welcome ceremony.

In the afternoon, Their Excellencies and the President of Germany visited an exhibit at the Humboldt Forum that features Canadian artefacts, including two West Coast Indigenous totem poles.

Later in the day, the Governor General met with Her Excellency Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Their Excellencies then met with Mr. Michael Müller, Governing Mayor of Berlin, at the Brandenburg Gate. Together, they toured this historical landmark, which today stands as a national symbol of peace and unity.

In the evening, Their Excellencies and the Canadian delegation attended a State dinner hosted by the President. The Governor General and the President delivered remarks on the occasion.

 

October 19, 2021

In the morning, the Governor General laid a wreath at the Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany on behalf of Canada to pay respect to the victims of war and tyranny.

Next, Their Excellencies and the Canadian delegation made their way to Frankfurt, where they were greeted by German government representatives.

Later in the afternoon, Their Excellencies headed to the 2021 Frankfurt Book Fair, where the Governor General delivered remarks at the opening ceremony of the 73rd edition of the Fair.

The theme of Canada’s Guest of Honour year is “Singular Plurality—Singulier Pluriel,” an expression meant to capture Canada’s culture of diversity, where each of us is unique but connected as a whole both by our differences and by our shared values.

Later, Their Excellencies and the Canadian delegation toured the Canadian Pavilion.

The Canadian Pavilion is inspired by the vastness of the country’s regions, and its cultural, linguistic and historical diversity. Highlights of the pavilion include an installation inspired by the Canadian landscape, as well as virtual and interactive content developed to showcase the official literary delegation.

October 20, 2021

In the morning, Their Excellencies and the Canadian delegation toured the exhibit The Ones we Met—Inuit Traditional Knowledge and the Franklin Expedition at the Frankfurt Museum of Archaeology. Afterwards, Their Excellencies participated in a round-table discussion with Dr. Professor Marcus Rex, leader of the MOSAiC polar expedition, who described the preliminary findings of the expedition as well as the challenges and opportunities he faced during his year in the Arctic.

That afternoon, His Excellency Whit Fraser moderated a panel discussion at the “20 on 2020” e-book event. The discussion featured two Canadian authors, Kim Thúy and Blaise Ndala, and German author, Simone Buchholz who contributed to the project.

This e-book, which is a collection of essays written by 10 Canadian authors and 10 German authors, presents their experiences and observations on the unforgettable year of 2020, the apogee of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Later in the day, Their Excellencies and the Canadian delegation visited the Canadian cultural installations in the Frankfurt Old Town.
 

On their final night of the trip, Their Excellencies and the Canadian delegation attended an evening of Canadian author talks and cultural performances at the Frankfurt Book Fair.