An intense visit took place in Montreal with President Boldrini, accompanied by the Ambassador of Italy in Ottawa, Claudio Taffuri, and thé Consul General Marco Riccardo Rusconi.
The President gave a Lectio Magistralis, entitled “Greater European integration to face global challenges: the reception of migrants and refugees” to an audience of 200 people who animated a wide-ranging debate.
She then met about sixty Italian professors and researchers based in Quebec’s Universities and centres of excellence, and had dinner thereafter with the Italian designers who attended the World Design Summit in Montreal during these past days.
The President had also a long, friendly and fruitful meeting with the Mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre (formerly Minister of Immigration with the Federal Government), touching the issues of inclusiveness and integration, as well as the role of urban centres concerning the environment and sustainability.
A moment of meeting with the Italian community took also place in the gala dinner of the Association of Marche ALMA, during which the President, together with the Association’s President Anna Perotti, granted four scholarships, funded by ALMA, to four young people of origins from Marche.
Finally, the President visited the First Nations’ land of Kahnawake, guided the community commissioner for culture and the heritage, Christine Zachary-Deom, with the aim of better knowing history, organisation and structure of the said community, and in order to get the First Nations’ perspective on the path to reconciliation with Canadian Authorities, strongly supported by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
