CX in Canada

The CX team has been in Toronto this week taking part in a number of events to promote Commonwealth connections.

On Monday, our Executive Director Tim Hewish spoke at an event organised by the NATO Association of Canada about our report on security and defence: cooperation: "The Commonwealth's Call to Duty."

We were privileged to speak alongside Canadian Defence Minister the Hon, Jason Kenney MP and the Hon. Hugh Segal (former Senator, Commonwealth Envoy, and member of the Commonwealth Eminent Person's Group). Both were welcoming of our report and it's recommendations which is hugely encouraging and will hopefully help bring them about as soon as possible.

The unedited footage of the whole event is available here. Tim's speech starts here, Hugh Segal's starts here, and Minister Kenney's here.

After the event, the CX Directors took part in the Nato Council's "Talk to a Diplomat" podcast series. You can listen to our episode here.

We were also able to catch up with our Advisory Board members Dr Roy Eappen and Michael Bonner as well as the NATO Council's Robert Baines and update them on CX's progress so far.

Finally, we were also honoured to speak as guests of the Royal Commonwealth Society of Toronto and the United Commonwealth Society. It was great to meet many of the Society's members and in particular to share a platform with Joannes Paulus Yimbesalu, a Cameroonian and a winner of the Queen's Young Leader Award.

Flying the flags: The Commonwealth in your words

Thanks to all those who have already signed our petition to fly the flags in Parliament Square during the Commonwealth Games this summer. We've had signatures from all over the world and they keep coming. If you haven't already signed, then do so here!

However, what has been really great to see is not just the signatures but the messages that have accompanied them. You can read them all on the petition page but here is a quick visual representation of what the flags, and the Commonwealth more generally, means to you:

Naturally, some of the Commonwealth institutions such as HM the Queen and the Games featured quite heavily. It's also great to see a recognition of the history and heritage of the Commonwealth, the ideas of shared values and of being a family, and support for the Commonwealth continuing to have a role in the future.

To all those who have signed and left messages: Thank you and please tell your friends to do the same!

To those who haven't: Do so here!

Commonwealth Week Highlights

As Commonwealth week draws to a close, here are some of our highlights:

1) We celebrated Commonwealth Day by publishing a Buzzfeed post promoting some of the things we love about the Commonwealth. Read our 10 reasons the Commonwealth is Awesome here.

2) Ralph Buckle, our Director and Co-founder, also wrote a piece for ConservativeHome (one of the UK's leading political blogs). He argued that, as the Commonwealth approaches 65, it's time for it to be refreshed not retired. Read it here.

3)Tim Hewish, our Executive Director and Co-founder, attended the Commonwealth Day Reception 2014 at Marlborough House. At the event he had the opportunity to explain CX's aims and activities to Her Majesty The Queen. He also had a productive discussion with the Commonwealth Secretary General, His Excellency Mr Kamalesh Sharma.

Photos by Richard Lewis & Stefan Kneba

Photos courtesy of The Commonwealth Digital Library

4) Her Majesty The Queen released her Commonwealth message. She said that "Affinities of history and inheritance from the past are strong, yet we are bound together by a sense that the Commonwealth is a powerful influence of good for the future. People of all ages from different cultures are weaving an ever-growing network of links which connect us in our diversity and our common purpose." The full message is here.

5) The UK's Commonwealth Minister Hugo Swire wrote a piece for the Huffington Post on his vision for the Commonwealth. You can read it here.

6) On Thursday CX also attended a Parliamentary meeting with the Indian Cabinet Minister for External Affairs, Mr Salman Khurshid. He discussed opening up the market for Indian & UK lawyers to work together referencing the benefits of similar legal systems. Our Advisory Board member Lord Flight quizzed him on the commercial environment and trade. The Minister concluded by calling the partnership "The Unique Relationship" to mirror the UK and the USA's "Special Relationship."

7) MP's discussed the Commonwealth in a Westminster Hall debate. You can read our highlights here and the full text of the debate here. Our Advisory Board Member Andrew Rosindell MP's comments on the absence of the Commonwealth flags from Parliament Square this year are particularly worth reading.

8) In spite of the lack of flags flying in Parliament Square, they were flying on Horse Guards Road which runs alongside the Treasury, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence. We arranged for a photographer to take a few shots. Click through on the image below:

9) Over 500 Commonwealth Flags were also flown all over the UK thanks to the Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth initiative.

10) On Friday we had a productive meeting with the Commonwealth Unit at the FCO to discuss our programme of activity and how we can collaborate to make sure the Commonwealth thrives in the 21st Century.