Former President Tsai Ing-wen Heads to Canada for Halifax International Security Forum.

Taipei: Former President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday departed Taiwan on a flight to Canada, where she will deliver a keynote speech during the annual summit of the Halifax International Security Forum (HISF) in the provincial capital of Nova Scotia. "I'm on my way to Canada at the invitation of the Halifax International Security Forum to its 2024 summit in Halifax," Tsai wrote in a Facebook post that went online 8 p.m. Wednesday. According to Focus Taiwan, every year, hundreds of experts in the field of national defense and security, as well as key political figures from dozens of countries, gather at the HISF event to discuss how democracies around the world can better work together to tackle imminent security challenges. In her keynote speech at the summit, which takes place in the Canadian city from Friday to Sunday (Atlantic Standard Time), Tsai said she will share with the international community the determination of people in Taiwan to safeguard democracy and freedom. Tsai mentioned she will also tell t he world how Taiwan plans to continue its effort to contribute to maintaining stability and achieving prosperity in the global community. The former president, who left office in May after two four-year terms, asked everyone to join her on social media, stay up to date about security issues facing the planet, and demonstrate to the world the determination of Taiwanese people to defend freedom and democracy. According to the HISF website, it was founded in 2009 as part of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, with the support of the Canadian government. HISF became an independent organization in 2011.