Ramallah, West Bank, Friday, November 4, 2016

What a pleasure to be here in Ramallah to reaffirm Canada’s friendship with the Palestinian people.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to President Abbas for welcoming my wife, Sharon, our Canadian delegation and me to the West Bank.

I’m proud to be the first governor general of Canada to visit the West Bank. Thank you for this historic opportunity.

Let me start by saying that Canada remains committed to working with its Palestinian counterparts.

I’m also happy to see that there are strong people-to-people ties between Palestinians and Canadians, and that we have many values and aspirations in common.

I would also like to reaffirm Canada’s commitment to work with Palestinians, Israelis and other partners to uphold the prospects of a two-state solution, and achieve a just and lasting peace.

Canada also has a robust development programme in the West Bank, which seeks to help strengthen governance and enhance economic prospects for Palestinians. 

We are working with Palestinians to innovate and to increase resilience for all members of society, including women and children.  

Later today, we will visit and inaugurate a forensics laboratory used by the Palestinian Civil Police, funded by Canada. This laboratory will help strengthen security and the rule of law in the West Bank.

Security and stability are key to any successful society, and Canada is pleased to lend its support to this important initiative.

Tomorrow, we will be visiting the Al-Shurooq School for Blind Children in Beit Jala near Bethlehem, which is doing such wonderful, important work in helping blind children to achieve their full potential.

Canada is also pleased to support this initiative through an investment of green technology – solar panels, to be precise!

These are two examples of our commitment to helping people here in the West Bank to improve their lives and build a more just society.

We are also working to advance entrepreneurship and make the business climate here more conducive to growth. By doing so, we increase opportunities and hope for Palestinians and overall prosperity in the region.

Canadians and Palestinians have achieved a great deal together already, and together we can do so much more for people here.

With this in mind, I look forward to continue partnership, dialogue and co-operation.

Thank you.