The Canadian Club of the Netherlands is a registered non-profit organization that was founded in 1967, the centennial year of Canada’s confederation. Initially, the club started out as a women’s club, but later expanded to include men and families of Canadians living in the Netherlands.
Our goal is to reach out to all Canadians in The Netherlands to help make their stay a wonderful experience. We reconnect and continue to engage with one another through activities and celebrations common in Canada. At the same time, we also wish to explore and discover our new home in the Netherlands through local excursions and activities.
Previously, the club was based on membership fees and dues. Starting in 2021, we no longer require membership to attend our events, fundraisers, and activities. We welcome both newly arrived and already settled Canadian individuals, couples and families. We hope that you will join us in our events as a member or volunteer. We look forward to meeting you in the near future!
The Team
The Canadian Club relies on the talents and efforts of our volunteers to help the club continue to provide services and activities for members and the community. Every contribution, no matter how small or large, makes a difference! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us.
Patrick Granton
• From: Ontario
• Moved to NL: 2017
• Why?: Work
• Residence: Rotterdam
• Ketchup or mayo?: Both
• Hobbies: Ice hockey, sailing
• Favourite place in NL: Maastricht
• What I miss the most from Canada: The seasons 🙁
Celine George Harjani
• From: Vancouver, British Columbia
• Moved to NL: 2017
• Why: To study at Leiden University
• Residence: Den Haag
• Ketchup or mayo?: Both!
• Hobbies: Golfing, baking, frequenting museums, exploring the food scene, creating dog memes
• Favourite place in NL: The Paleistuin in Den Haag – I’m there all summer long with a book, a friend, a dog, or maybe all three!
• What I miss the most from Canada: My family and the availability of queso dip
Marc Maisonneuve
• From: Montreal, Québec
• Moved to NL: 23 years in beautiful NL
• Why?: LOVE, of course (and a job…)
• Ketchup or mayo?: Both, but have you tried oorlog?
• Hobbies: Avid traveler, cycling, bar hopping, movies and theatre. FOODIE here
• Favourite place in NL: Sitting in a boat with friends cruising the canals or cycling in the dunes near Bergen
• What I miss the most from Canada: NOT missing Van Houtte or Timmies. Really missing echt poutine, but bitterballen help. Gotta love a country that serves cheese cubes to dip in mustard as a borrel.
Elisabeth Page
• From: Drummondville, Québec
• Moved to NL: April 2018
• Why?: I moved because of my lovely Dutch boyfriend
• Residence: Scheveningen, beach life!
• Ketchup or mayo?: Ketchup, relish & mustard!
• Hobbies: Traveling, camping, softball/baseball (and all sports), photos/videos making, hiking.
• Favourite place in NL: All the little bits of nature from the Netherlands but definitely the beach.
• What I miss the most from Canada: My Quebec language with all the funny words but mostly the space and, of course, poutine (and the squish squish cheese)!
Kate Walker-Lievense
• From: Ontario & Quebec
• Moved to NL: 2018
• Why?: My Dutch husband wanted to retire back to the Mothership
• Residence: Hoogerheide, North Brabant
• Ketchup or mayo?: The red liquid sugar, of course
• Hobbies: Kayaking, hiking
• Favourite place: The green nature, forests and hills of the Twente region
• What I miss the most from Canada: The “Canadian” satirical sense of humour, Mary Walsh’s, “This Hour has 22 Minutes” kinda thing
Jodie Sanderson
• From: Ottawa
• Moved to NL: June 2021
• Why: My husband is dual Canadian and Dutch and has always wanted to move here. Plus living in Europe is a bit of a dream!
• Residence: Den Haag
• Ketchup or mayo: I’m slowly starting to see why mayo is such an important food here…
• Hobbies: Baking! Traveling (does that count as a hobby?)
• Favourite place: Home (wherever that may be at the time)
• What I miss most from Canada: Definitely family.
Jonathan Ouellet
From: Ottawa
Moved to NL: 2021
Why? Doing a PhD in Archaeology at Leiden University
Residence: Leiden
Ketchup or Mayo: Mayo
Hobbies: Coin collecting, Travel, Martial Arts, Reading, Museums
Favourite place in NL: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
What I miss the most about Canada: Poutine
Emilie de Haas
From: Ottawa, Ontario
Moved to NL: September 2019
Why? For a fellowship
Residence: The Hague
Ketchup or Mayo: Ketchup all the way
Hobbies: Cooking, cycling, the beach, writing
Favourite place in NL: Tough one! The dunes and the beach in Scheveningen. Close second: Giethoorn, Overijssel
What I miss the most about Canada: The seasons, especially the warm summers, and Miss Vickie’s Salt and Vinegar chips (haven’t found an equivalent here yet!)
Dionne Geerts
From: Ontario
Moved to NL: 2020
Why? My husband is Dutch, wanted to move closer to family (also Brexit)
Residence: Raalte, Overijssel
Ketchup or Mayo: Both
Hobbies: Baking, travelling, camping, Football
Favourite place in NL: Sallandse Heuvelrug
What I miss the most about Canada: Family, poutine, good bagels!