H E the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, completed her visit to the State of Qatar, which ran from March 20 to 22, 2022, and included bilateral discussions with Qatar’s senior leaders, meeting Canadian Armed Forces personnel and embassy staff, and visiting key cultural, sporting, and educational sites.

The Governor General met with Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani. She expressed Canada’s appreciation for Qatar’s assistance with Canada’s repatriation efforts during COVID-19 and evacuation efforts from Afghanistan, as well as granting Canada permission to open a temporary diplomatic office for Afghanistan in Doha.

During her tour of Qatar Foundation (QF), the Governor General met with H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of QF, and learned about Qatar’s significant progress and impressive work in the fields of education, science and research, and community development.

The Governor General, in her capacity as Commander-in-Chief of Canada, met Canadian Armed Forces members stationed at Al-Udeid Air Base in Doha, and commended them for their efforts in supporting the Global Coalition against Daesh (ISIS). She also met with Canadian embassy staff and thanked them for their role in evacuating Canadians and Afghans from Kabul since August 2021.