Republican News · Thursday 31 January 2002

De Brún in Canada for St Patrick's Day

Bairbre de Brún celebrated St Patrick's Day with Irish communities in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal from 15 to 17 March. The Health Minister kicked off her Canadian visit on Friday, 15 March by joining with 1,200 people at the annual Ireland Fund of Canada St Patrick's Day luncheon in Toronto. That evening, de Brún received a rousing welcome from over 150 members of the local Irish community at a Friends of Sinn Féin (FOSF) Canada dinner held at the Brampton Irish Centre. She briefed the audience on the status of the peace process and the drive for a united Ireland. She also took time to discuss health issues with Dr Carolyn Bennett, a prominent Member of Parliament from Toronto who was in attendance.

On Saturday, 16 March, de Brún traveled to Ottawa to participate in that city's St Patrick's Day parade. She received a warm welcome from the crowds watching the parade as she made her way along the route in the back of an open air convertible. After attending a successful afternoon reception organised by FOSF (Canada) near Parliament Hill, Minister de Brún joined in an evening of dance and music at a Ceoltas céilí. At the céilí, de Brún met and congratulated members of Galway's championship football team, who had brought the Sam Maguire Cup all the way to Canada's national capital.

De Brún ended her tour with a visit to Montreal. She joined Quebec dignitaries at the head of Montreal's St Patrick's Day parade, watched this year by over 700,000 people. The Health Minister was accompanied by the Mayor of Montreal Gerald Tremblay, the Quebec Minister for Municipal Affairs Andre Boisclair, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois party, Gilles Duceppe MP, and the Honourable Warren Allmand, former Solicitor General of Canada. Following the parade, the Sinn Féin representative attended a reception in her honour at the offices of the St Jean Baptiste Society, where she was officially welcomed by Mayor Tremblay and Minister Boisclair. After the reception, she attended a function organised by the GAA and met with leaders of the Montreal Irish community. The day ended with a social organised by Friends of Sinn Féin (Canada), where de Brún addressed a packed room on the need for continued international support for Sinn Féin and the Irish peace process.

BY ALAN McCONNELL
FRIENDS OF SINN FÉIN (CANADA)