“We celebrated the first Swiss Day on Parliament Hill last week. Canada and Switzerland are both diverse countries and strong partners in trade and research.”

“Mr. Speaker, last week, we celebrated the first-ever Swiss Day on the Hill. Parliamentarians, business leaders and diplomats gathered for the inaugural Swiss Day on the Hill, capped by an evening reception complete with a chocolate Matterhorn, handcrafted by our friends at Le Cordon Bleu here in Ottawa. Canada and Switzerland are both federations built on linguistic diversity. In fact, Switzerland has four national languages: French, German, Italian and Romansh. In both of our countries, diversity is our strength. [Member spoke in German, Italian and Romansh] Our nations are close partners in trade, innovation and research, and Swiss Canadians have enriched our communities from coast to coast to coast. The conversations we start today can become tomorrow’s partnerships. I thank the many organizers and supporters for bringing this celebration to the Hill. Long live the friendship between Switzerland and Canada.”