By Hollie Younger / Staff writer

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day.

Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page.

Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.

Photo: Chang Ling-chu, Taipei Times

Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a “happy birthday,” and stated his support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The event was joined by 400 Canadian supporters from business, academia, politics and media, as well as indigenous leaders and representatives from the local Taiwanese community.

Nibun Chorus, a Bunun Indigenous singing group from Kaohsiung, also gave a performance.

Chief Frank Antoine of the Bonaparte First Nation and chair of the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance said he looks forward to bringing a delegation of 30 to Taiwan for the World Indigenous Traditional Games in December.

He added that he had a “favorable impression” of Taiwan after visiting last year’s World Indigenous Summit.

Liberal lawmaker Wade Chang (張瑋麟), the only member of Canada’s parliament born in Taiwan, “praised the contributions of Taiwanese-Canadians across the country, acknowledging their perseverance, resilience and community spirit,” the post said.

The event was led by office Director-General Liu Li-hsin (劉立欣).

Liu praised Taiwan for its democratic system, semiconductor industry, innovation in artificial intelligence, human rights record and as a “bastion of free speech,” it added.

She further promoted Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations — including the ICAO, the UN, the WHO and Interpol — even while China “continues to deliberately misinterpret” UN Resolution 2758 to exclude Taiwan, she said.

Since Canada introduced its Indo-Pacific Strategy three years ago, Canada has made routine transits through the Taiwan Strait, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken out on behalf of Taiwanese interests at the G7 and the Canada-EU Summit, she added.

The two nations have also signed a memorandum of understanding on dark vessel detection systems to further promote peace and stability in the region, she said.