Event Summary:
Welcome to 2004 – No Longer "Siesta or Fiesta"
By Rebecca Low, Vice President, CIIA (Toronto)
On Wednesday, October 6, the Toronto chapter of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs launched its fall season of programming with a special combination of education for both the mind and the body. Entitled "Spain Today," over sixty members and guests came to spend an intimate evening with Spanish Consul General Ignacio Sanchez de Lerin Garcia-Ovies.
The Consul-General was introduced by the organizer of the event, Executive Committee Member Millie Poon. Senior Sanchez de Lerin then charmed the audience with a wide-ranging and thoughtful lecture. Many topics were covered including the politics, history, culture and economy of Spain as well as the current state of Spanish/Canadian relations and the tragedy of the March 11 bombings.
Themes highlighted include:
- That while Canada/Spain relations are currently poor, optimism exists. There is much work to be done to achieve closer relations. This can be achieved by working closer with real trade agents, the academic world (professor and students swaps) and by promoting the Spanish language in Canada. Spain is also trying to convince Canada that other options for trade exist outside of the United States.
- Spain's "sense of space is not normal." A tremendous amount of diversity is squeezed into 400square/km. This is coupled with the fact that Spanish regions have been self-governing since 1978 in a manner similar to our provinces. Today, 17 regions have their own governments. This diversity presents challenges similar to that of Canada but Spain is embracing the richness that this presents.
- The government's long-term view of dealing with the Basque community. Spain is evolving from a simple democracy to a more complex one. The major challenge is to look at this sympathetically as the Basques would enrich the country. If there were a democratic way to free the Basques, then the government would look at it. The Consul General highlighted that it shouldn't be done through blood and terrorism.
Once the formal part of the evening was over guests had the opportunity to sample wonderful wines and tapas from Spain. These included:
Frixenet cava
Oro Penedes Hill Muscat-Xarel-Lo 2003
Rioja Campo Viejo Reserva 1998
Penascal 2001
View the event flyer:
Flyer.
Many thanks to the Spanish Club for the wonderful tapas, and the generous support provided by the Consulate General of Spain and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
