Excerpts from announcement

Norval, ON

~ Reverend Father, Sisters, Your Excellency, parliamentary colleagues and ladies and gentlemen it is a real pleasure for me to join with you here today. I was here at the cultural centre here at Our Lady Queen of Peace parish in October during the last federal election campaign to meet with leaders of the Canadian Croatian community here in the greater Toronto area and to inform them that if re-elected the Harper government would work towards the elimination of the short term visa requirement for Croatian nationals to Canada.

~ Let me say that before that time we worked very hard to, last February of 2008, under the leadership of Immigration Minister Diane Finley, my predecessor, to eliminate the supplementary IMM form, which was causing so many difficulties for Croatian men, in particular to come and visit their friends and relatives and family here in Canada. We moved further to accelerate Canada’s accession of the ratification of Croatia’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and did so through our cabinet in January of this year, welcoming to this important bastion of the defense of freedom called NATO, this important, strong and growing independent democracy of Croatia. And in so doing we also eliminated the visa requirements for members of the Croatian military.

~ All of this has represented growing ties between our countries, between Canada and Croatia economically, culturally, militarily, politically, strategically. And today is a very important step forward in that growing relationship, a relationship which is dependent on a bridge between Canada and Croatia. And you are that bridge, that bridge is the Canadian Croatian community. It is nearly 200,000 Canadians who either immigrated to this country from Croatia or who are the descendants of Croatian immigrants.

~ I am pleased to tell you that following my appointment as Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, I instructed by department to begin the process of reviewing Croatia’s status in terms of the short term visa requirement. We dispatched an expert team to Croatia to visit Croatia and report back on country conditions and we then had to take several additional steps following that. The consequence of which as I am pleased to announce today that effective immediately Canada will no longer require a visa for short term travel for Croatian nationals to Canada.

~ So once again, thank you and let me close by paying a special tribute to Her Excellency, the, I don’t know how the Croatian foreign ministry assigns heads of mission abroad, but somebody clearly had a fondness for Canada by dispatching this Ambassador to Ottawa. Your Excellency, thank you for all of your efforts and we look forward to building on today’s exciting announcement as our two countries grow even more closely together. Thank you very much (Croatian).