The Ambassador of Italy to Canada, Alessandro Cattaneo, opened the aerospace conference “Sovereign Skies – Building the New Canada-Italy Industrial Alliance in Defence, Space and Advanced Manufacturing” in Montreal this morning.
Organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada, in the presence of Québec’s Minister of International Relations, Christopher Skeete, the conference brought together Italian and Canadian companies from the defence and aerospace sectors, including Leonardo, Boeing, CAE and Mecaer, to promote new opportunities for cooperation in the bilateral and transatlantic context.
Ambassador Cattaneo also addressed these opportunities in his opening remarks, emphasizing that sovereignty depends on fostering strong industrial ties and secure value chains among nations that share the ideals of freedom, democracy and respect for international law. The Ambassador also noted that the conference represents an important step towards the Italy-Canada Business Forum, scheduled to take place in Toronto on October 29.
Accompanied by the Consul General of Italy in Montreal, Enrico Pavone, Ambassador Cattaneo then visited the exhibition “Le cucitrici: voci delle couturières italiane di Montréal” at the MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises, where he was welcomed by Giuliana Fumagalli, President of Alliance Donne – Femmes italiennes du Québec. The exhibition celebrates the fundamental role played by Italian women in Canada’s garment industry after the Second World War.
Ambassador Cattaneo subsequently visited Spazio Azzurri, established for the World Cycling Championships currently taking place in Montreal. There, he met with the President of the Italian Cycling Federation (FCI), Cordiano Dagnoni, and its Secretary General, Gavino Marcello Tolu, and spent time with Italian athletes following their numerous medal wins. Spazio Azzurri was made possible through contributions from the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry. The Ambassador was accompanied by Consul General Pavone and the Director of ITA Canada, Carlo Angelo Bocchi.
In the afternoon, the Ambassador returned to Ottawa to attend a reception hosted at his residence by the Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, the Honourable Francis Scarpaleggia.
