King Willem-Alexander thanks Canada for Dutch liberation during Ottawa visit
The King and Queen of the Netherlands laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa Wednesday on the first full day of a three-day visit to Canada.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima attended the ceremony with Erin O'Toole, the minister of veteran affairs and afterward met with war veterans during the king's first visit to Canada in nearly 35 years.
The royals kicked off the day with a welcome ceremony at Rideau Hall, hosted by Gov. Gen. David Johnston and his wife, Sharon. The couple arrived on a horse-drawn carriage guided by two Mounties.
"We've come here this time because we're going to celebrate the very good relations between Canada and the Netherlands," King Willem-Alexander said Wednesday morning.
"We are here to honour all those Canadians that helped liberate the Netherlands 70 years ago from oppression, from dictatorship and gave us back our liberty, freedom and justice."
The royal couple then made their way to Parliament Hill, where the House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer and the new Speaker of the Senate, Leo Housakos, led a tour of the Library of Parliament and the Senate chamber.
Later Wednesday, they were welcomed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and were to meet with the "Dutch Caucus," the group of 20 or so MPs who have strong ties to the Netherlands.
They will return to Rideau Hall tonight for a state banquet.
Dutch visit marks 70 years since VE-Day
The trip coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Netherlands' liberation. Canada's contribution to the liberation is a running theme throughout the royal's visit. Dutch-Canadian ties have remained strong since VE-Day in 1945.
Prime Minister Harper travelled to the Netherlands earlier in May to mark the anniversary.
He spoke at a VE-Day ceremony held at the Holten Canadian War Cemetery, near Arnhem. The cemetery is home to the graves of 1,350 Canadian soldiers.
"Canadians will never forget the welcome our troops received in this country as the war ended," said Harper during the May 4 ceremony.
The King and Queen's visit continues until Friday. They will be visiting Toronto and Waterloo, where they will present a scholarship program for Canadian students hoping to study in the Netherlands.
