The inaugural meeting of the reconstituted Canadian-Croatian Parliamentary Friendship Group was held on December 9, 2025, in the presence of Ambassador Skračić and representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Canada. The meeting, convened by the Co-Chairs of the Group, MP Peter Fonseca and Chris Warkentin, brought together a number of MPs from both the ruling and opposition parties. Membership in the Group is open to all members of the House of Representatives, as well as the Senate of Canada.
On the same day, the Embassy organized a special exhibition dedicated to Croatian intangible cultural heritage inscribed on the UNESCO list in the premises of the Canadian Parliament which, together with the accompanying reception to mark the meeting of the Canadian-Croatian Parliamentary Friendship Group, attracted a lot of attention among the Members of the Parliament and other guests.
In his speech, Ambassador Skračić emphasized the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening bilateral relations. Close partners and allies, Canada and Croatia are also connected through the strong people-to-people ties, as well as through a deep and positive contribution of generations of Canadian Croats to the local communities all over Canada. In the spirit of cooperation based on shared values and priorities, he expressed openness to further cooperation at all levels and areas of common interest, including economic relations, science and innovation, defense and security cooperation, support for a rules-based international order, as well as sports, especially in the context of the World Cup, where the Croatian national team will also have several matches in Toronto.
The exhibition on Croatian intangible cultural heritage highlighted the richness of Croatian cultural heritage, as well as the special character of intangible heritage which is an inseparable part of our shared legacy which contributes to the collective heritage of human civilization. As such, it also lives on through Croatian communities in Canada, which have lovingly nurtured the richness of Croatian traditional cultural expression for generations. Today, more than 160 elements are protected at the national level in Croatia, of which 22 are inscribed on UNESCO’s Lists of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, testifying to the the richness, cultural diversity and creativity of different communities.
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