Vaclav Havel had an appreciation of Canada and nurtured a close relationship with the country over the years, Gov. Gen. David Johnston said Friday, after attending the funeral of the former Czech president.
"He associated his own values with fundamental Canadian values," Johnston said in a telephone interview from Prague with CTV News Channel.
Havel was named an honorary Companion to the Order of Canada in 2004 after receiving a standing ovation for a powerful speech to Parliament in 1999. He was also presented with an honorary degree from York University in 1990.
Johnston quoted Havel as saying "the people of Canada understand me", suggesting perhaps he wasn't fully understood in his own country.
He also praised the leader, who led a peaceful battle to end four decades of communist rule in his country during the "Velvet Revolution" in 1989, as having a fondness and connection to young people he reached through his writing.
Havel's funeral at the gothic St. Vitus' Cathedral in historic Prague Castle was attended by more than a thousand mourners and leaders from nations around the world.
Johnston called the service "moving" and said there were many references to Havel's belief that "truth and love will triumph over lies and hate" in the vigorous defence of individual liberties.
Havel, the dissident playwright-turned-president, died Sunday at age 75. He stepped down in 2003.
Other world leaders hailed Havel as a man of great conviction and humanity.
"I wish that all who are not indifferent to the future of our country, pursue their opinions with the same courage and conviction as Vaclav Havel did," said current Czech President Vaclav Klaus.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a letter that Havel's "fight for freedom and democracy was as unforgettable as his great humanity.
"We Germans also have much to thank him for. Together with you, we mourn the loss of a great European," she said.
Lech Walesa, who rose from the shipping docks of Poland and led the Solidarity movement against communism in that country, called Havel "a great fighter for the freedom of nations and for democracy".
His wife Dagmar, family members and leaders from around the world gathered for his funeral, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, husband and former U.S. president Bill Clinton, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron.
Many watched the funeral from large screens set up outside the church in a nearby square.
A message from Pope Benedict XVI read at the ceremony praised Havel for his defence of human rights.
"Remembering how courageously Mr. Havel defended human rights at a time when these were systematically denied to the people of your country and paying tribute to his visionary leadership in forging a new democratic polity after the fall of the previous regime, I give thanks to God for the freedom that the people of the Czech Republic now enjoy," he said.
The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra performed parts of Requiem by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak throughout the funeral.
Havel's body was cremated following a private family funeral. His ashes will be buried in his family's plot alongside his first wife, Olga, who died in 1996.
