Tánaiste's Visit to Vancouver
The Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin TD, began his seven-day St Patrick’s Day visit to Canada in Vancouver.
The Tánaiste’s first engagement in Vancouver was a business breakfast co-hosted by the Consulate General of Ireland Vancouver and Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce Vancouver. The sold-out event gave Tánaiste the opportunity to meet with over 100 young Irish business professionals and community members.
The Tánaiste was the keynote speaker for this event which provided an opportunity to note the strength of bilateral trade potential in the region, to commend the Irish community and reaffirm the Government’s commitment to the diaspora, and give updates on the key priorities for the Government.
In keeping with the St. Patrick’s Day theme of ‘Ireland’s Future in the World’ and showcasing what differentiates Vancouver as a destination of choice for the young Irish, the Tánaiste met with young leaders, entrepreneurs, and policy makers from the Irish community to gain insight into the issues impacting our young diaspora in Vancouver. This event was an invaluable opportunity for the Tánaiste to learn about the unique opportunities and challenges for the young Irish in BC.
The Tánaiste met with representatives of the GAA including the Vancouver GAA Divisional Board and Chairs of several clubs. GAA is becoming increasingly popular in Vancouver and has grown rapidly in the last number of years due to the steady stream of new arrivals from Ireland.
In 2013, there was one GAA team in Vancouver and by the end 2023, there were over 1100 registered members across nine clubs, including a new youth club. The Tánaiste affirmed his commitment to supporting the GAA in BC and received an invitation to the second Canada National Championships which will be held in Burnaby this summer.
The St. Patrick’s Day Reception took place in the Stanley Park Pavilion. This event is the flagship St. Patrick’s Day event held by the Consulate in Western Canada and is a crucial relationship building and awareness raising event for the Consulate. This year it was billed as marking the occasion of the Tánaiste’s visit, which attracted great interest.
Local and Provincial Government, the Consular Corps, the Irish community, and other key stakeholders including IDA and EI client companies were invited. VIP Guests at our SPD reception were Mike Little, Mayor, District of North Vancouver; Richard Stewart, Mayor, City of Coquitlam; Pete Fry, City Councillor, City of Vancouver; Mike Klassen, City Councillor, City of Vancouver; Lenny Zhou, City Councillor, City of Vancouver; Howard Chow, Deputy Chief Constable of Operations, Vancouver Police Department and Patrick Weiler, MP.
The Tánaiste’s keynote address touched on the deep and warm connection between Ireland and Canada, the vibrancy of the diaspora, and topical issues.