Dear readers of the Newsletter of the German Consulate General,

Today, we are celebrating “Canada Day”, the 157^th birthday of this great nation. It is a day for joy and festivities, to meet with family and friends and to celebrate everything Canada stands for: freedom, civil liberties, tolerance, openness and inclusion, the strive for peace and human rights. All these values and principles are shared by Germany and many other countries, despite the challenging circumstances we are facing in our free and liberal societies. But the 1^st of July is not a day to agonize on what´s at stake; it is a day to celebrate what we have, what we are and what we want to be.

In the name of all the colleagues of the German Consulate General in Vancouver, I wish Canada and all Canadians a happy, peaceful, joyous and relaxing “Canada Day”, when you can show the pride in your nation and your confidence in a prosperous future.

I wish all our readers a wonderful summer, lots of sunshine, hopefully some nice holidays and a good time wherever you may spend the warmer months of the year.

Yours sincerely,

Marc Eichhorn
Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany