🇫🇷🇨🇦 From November 27 to 29, the Ambassador of Ambassade de France au Canada, Mr. Michel Miraillet, was in Vancouver, to talk defence, #AI, scientific collaborations, francophonie, and further strength ties between France and Western Canada.
On the economic front, a visit to the French company Zodiac Milpro’s factory in Delta, which has a long history in British Columbia, highlighted its driving force in the sector. Zodiac Milpro is the global leader in the manufacturing of rigid-hulled inflatable boats, primarily for national marines around the world, including the Canadian and French navies. The Delta factory is the company’s main manufacturing center worldwide. Additionally, ten boats, worth a total of CAD 20 million, built by the company, are being donated to Ukraine as part of Canada’s military support to Ukraine 🇫🇷🇨🇦🇺🇦.
In the field of innovation, a meeting was held with key players in Vancouver’s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem, one of the most dynamic in the country, with the presence of the Provincial Minister of Employment, Economic Development, and Innovation, Ms. Diana Gibson. Upcoming international events related to AI and tech were discussed, including facilitating cross-participation of experts and businesses at the upcoming #AIActionSummit in Paris on February 10-11, the Web Summit to be hosted in Vancouver in November 2025, and Viva Technology, which will take place from June 11-14, 2025, in Paris. VivaTech is one of Europe’s largest tech trade shows, and Canada is this year’s guest country 🇫🇷🇨🇦.
As Canada and France will take turns holding the G7 presidency in 2025 and 2026, this meeting also provided an opportunity to reiterate our shared priority for trustworthy AI, as outlined in the work of the Global Partnership on AI.
On the scientific and academic front, a visit was organized to the TRIUMF facilities (on UBC’s campus), Canada’s largest particle physics research center. In November 2024, TRIUMF strengthened its ties with France by establishing a joint international laboratory in collaboration with the CNRS starting in 2025. The Ambassador then met with the President of the University of British Columbia (UBC), Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, as well as the Vice-President of Research, Dr. Gail Murphy. The vitality of scientific collaborations in fields such as quantum science, mathematics, biology, physics, and hydrogen was highlighted.
On the cultural side, the Ambassador took part in the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the Alliance Française of Vancouver, organized with the support of the Consulate General and French-speaking partners, in its new premises. He also awarded the insignia of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters to Suzie LeBlanc, a renowned Canadian soprano and artistic director of Early Music Vancouver, an organization dedicated to promoting Baroque music and musicians.
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