Canada celebrates national day

JAKARTA: The Canadian Embassy in Jakarta will celebrate the country's National Day on Tuesday with the opening of a new honorary consulate in Surabaya, East Java, and the launch of the first ever Canadian Film Festival in Indonesia.

Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia Ferry de Kerchkove will attend the celebration along with the Canadian communities in both Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java.

At 11:30 a.m., the ambassador is scheduled to officially open Canada's new Honorary Consulate while in the evening the diplomat is expected to attend the film festival in Jakarta.

The celebration coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Indonesia.

Unlike many countries, where the national day refers to the day on which independence was declared from colonial powers, Canada's national day celebrates the day of confederation when the provinces of Canada agreed to join together to become a country. --JP