Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gifted U.S. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a basket filled with Canadian goods Thursday, including Antigonish-made Peace by Chocolate.
Tareq Hadhad started the chocolate business after coming to Nova Scotia as a Syrian refugee.
“Peace by Chocolate, sounds like an international agreement,” Pelosi said, picking up the chocolate bar from the basket and holding it while photographers took photos in Washington.
Last week, Pelosi promised to give Trudeau treats from California if the Raptors won the NBA title series against the Golden State Warriors. Trudeau promised to do the same for her if the Raptors were defeated.
In the gift exhange Thursday, Pelosi then presented Trudeau with a basket filled with goods from California. The basket included “chocolates, almonds, walnuts, pistachios and wine,” Pelosi said.
UNBELIEVABLE!
— Peace by Chocolate (@Peacebychoco) June 20, 2019
PM @JustinTrudeau just gifted Speaker @SpeakerPelosi our chocolates. "Peace by Chocolate is something Canada is very proud of" 🇨🇦
The response of Speaker Pelosi was "Peace by Chocolate, sounds like an international agreement"
We are so honoured, thank you! pic.twitter.com/fMgUtKAGBA
Despite winning the bet, Trudeau gave Pelosi a basket of Canadian goods. “Canadians don’t show up empty-handed,” Trudeau said in a social media post.
“Since we’re at it, Canadians are gracious in defeat and even more gracious in victory. I put together a little bit of Raptors swag,” Trudeau said.
Hadhad was thrilled with Trudeau’s gift choice.
“This is beyond belief!” Hadhad said in a post on his Facebook page, sharing a video of Trudeau giving Pelosi the basket.
“This time is for international agreements, for peace, for unity and inclusion. For being open to support those suffering around the world,” Hadhad said.
“Canada loves us, and we love it more and more.”
Peace by Chocolate was founded in Antigonish by Hadhad’s family, who resettled there after fleeing the war in Syria.
The Hadhad family made and shipped their treats all over the Middle East for 20 years. The family’s Damascus factory was bombed and destroyed in Syria, so they left the country and resettled in Nova Scotia.
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