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Following a centuries-old Lithuanian tradition, on All Saints’ Day, 1 November, together with the Honorary Consul General of Lithuania in Toronto, Paulius Kuras, and representatives of the Lithuanian Canadian community, we paid tribute to the memory of the Honorary Consuls of the Republic of Lithuania in Canada who are laid to rest in Toronto.

 

We also laid a wreath at the Monument to Those Who Fell for Lithuania’s Freedom in the Lithuanian section of St. John’s Lithuanian Cemetery in Mississauga.

 

At Toronto’s historic St. James Cemetery, we honoured the memory of Gerald Lynham Porte Grand Suttie (1890–1949), the first Honorary Consul of Lithuania in Toronto and a Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Canada. Appointed in 1937, he represented Lithuania until his death in 1949. His service to Lithuania was particularly important during the years of occupation. Canada never recognised the occupation of the Baltic States, and the Lithuanian Consulate therefore continued its activities without interruption. The first Honorary Consul actively championed Lithuania’s cause for freedom and helped mobilise the Lithuanian community.

 

At Toronto’s Park Lawn Cemetery, a wreath was laid at the monument to Vytautas Jonas Gylys (1886–1959), who served as Lithuania’s Consul General in Toronto from 1949 to 1959. A Lithuanian diplomat and lawyer, he also served as Governor of the Klaipėda Region from 1932 to 1934. Throughout his diplomatic career, he represented Lithuania in Finland, Estonia, Königsberg, Denmark, Latvia, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Norway.

At St. John’s Lithuanian Cemetery, we paid tribute to the memory of three other Lithuanian Honorary Consuls.

 

Jonas Žmuidzinas (1898–1989) served as Lithuania’s Honorary Consul General in Toronto for more than 25 years. From 1932 to 1937, he worked at the Lithuanian Legation in London, followed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania from 1937 to 1940. A diplomat and distinguished intellectual, he was also a public figure, journalist, writer and member of the Lithuanian Writers’ Association.

 

Haris Lapas (1924–2011) served as Lithuania’s Honorary Consul General from the very first years following the restoration of Lithuania’s independence until 2004. Through his dedicated work, he contributed to consolidating Lithuania’s independence and advancing the country’s aspirations for NATO membership.

 

Liudas Vytenis Matukas (1937–2017) served as Lithuania’s Honorary Consul General in Toronto from 2004 to 2008. Through his work and extensive network of contacts, he contributed to strengthening relations between Lithuania and Canada and fostering cooperation with Canadian financial institutions.

 

In 2027, we will mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Lithuanian Honorary Consulate in Toronto.