Canada Day 2023 in Budapest

A large crowd gathered in downtown Budapest to celebrate Canada Day 2023, organised by the Embassy of Canada, on 29 June 2023.

In Budapest, Canada’s friends celebrated the country’s national holiday. With the passing of the British North America Act of 1867, on 1 July 1867, the three separate colonies of United Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were united into a single dominion within the British Empire, under the name of Canada.

This year’s Canada Day was held in the imposing Károlyi-Csekonics Palace, and the distinguished crowd was treated first to the Canadian and then the Hungarian national anthems. László Trócsányi, Rector of the Károli Gáspár Reformed University (KRE) and Fidesz MEP, hosted the gathering and opened the event emphasising the long-standing relationship between the two nations and the importance of living together in peace.

Ambassador Caroline Charette welcomed the guests in Hungarian and said that Canada Day is not about people’s roots or backgrounds, but about the common values that are cherished in Canada. She stressed that the relationship between Hungary and Canada goes back a long way. The more than 350,000 Hungarians living in Canada are valued and appreciated and their role in the present and future of the country is important. Ambassador Charette also pointed out the significance of joint action against Russia, the aggressor that started the war in Ukraine, as together nations are always much stronger. Finally, the Ambassador bid farewell to Budapest, as her 4-year mission came to an end. As she said, she had spent wonderful years in the Hungarian capital and gained many fond memories, thanks to all her colleagues and newly-made friends with whom she worked together on building and deepening Hungarian-Canadian relations.