Croats Visit Capital

Prime Minister Harper Meets With Representatives Of The Croatian-Canadian Community

Ottawa, Ontario — Members of the board of directors of the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce John Marion, Ivan Grbesic and Joe Draganjac, and Mark Vuksan, President of the Croatian Sports and Community Centre of Hamilton, attended a meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on December 5, 2012 with Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Brampton South, Ms. Eve Adams, who is partially of Croatian heritage. The delegation, along with Ms. Adams, then proceeded to the Prime Minister’s Office to meet with the Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada. After thanking Prime Minister Harper for attending the Chamber’s 10th Annual Business Excellence Awards Evening as the special guest and keynote speaker earlier in the year, the delegation discussed with the Prime Minister some recent developments and activities within the Croatian-Canadian community. Prime Minister Harper expressed that he was delighted to have attended the Business Excellence Awards Evening and also commented on the strengthening economic and cultural ties between Canada and Croatia. He continued by sharing some warm memories of his official visit to Croatia in 2010. He went on to congratulate the Chamber for the work it was doing in building a broad network among Croatian-Canadian businesses and individuals and how such efforts serve to strengthen Canada as a whole. Mark Vuksan spoke about the Croatian Sports and Community Centre of Hamilton, describing the organization’s work with youth soccer and providing an update in respect of the new community centre that is currently under construction in Hamilton. A personal invitation was extended to the Prime Minister to attend a fundraising banquet being held in Hamilton on June 8, 2013. Prime Minister Harper congratulated the Croatian Sports and Community Centre of Hamilton for their contributions and the important work that they are doing in the community. Senator Frank Mahovlich Retiring From Canadian Senate

The meeting with the Prime Minister came a day after Vuksan and the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce board of directors attended a reception for Senator Frank Mahovlich. After 14 distinguished years in the Canadian Senate, the Croatian-Canadian hockey icon announced that he will be retiring from the Senate, leaving his seat in the Red Chamber on January 10, 2013. Senator Mahovlich’s retirement marks an end to more than 5,300 days in the Senate, a feat which will be added to his list of hockey accomplishments, including six Stanley Cup wins and his membership in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The reception was hosted by his Excellency Veselko Grubisic, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Canada, at the Croatian Embassy and was attended by a number of dignitaries, special guests and members of the Croatian-Canadian community in Ottawa. View more photos here: Croats Visit Capital