Visit by the Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C.,
Speaker of the Senate,
and a Parliamentary Delegation,
Arab Republic of Egypt and Republic of Turkey

From May 19 to 24, 2019, the Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C., led a parliamentary delegation on a visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt and Republic of Turkey. The delegation consisted of the Honourable Nicole Eaton, Speaker pro tempore, the Honourable Dennis Dawson, Senator and the Honourable Josée Forest-Niesing, Senator. Accompanying the delegation were Mr. Stuart Barnable, Chief of Staff to the Speaker, and Ms. Catherine Cuerrier, Secretary to the delegation.

The delegates met with the following officials in Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt:

• His Excellency Mr. Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt;
• His Excellency Dr. Ali Abdel Aal, Speaker of the House of Representatives;
• His Excellency Mr. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs;
• His Excellency Dr. Khaled Atef Abdul Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research;
• His Eminence Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Grand Sheikh of the Al Azhar University and Grand Imam of the Al Azhar; and
• His Grace Bishop Daniel, Bishop of Maadi District and Cairo Governorate and Secretary General of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The delegates also met with a group of eminent Egyptian experts in various field such as the Egyptian economy, International Law, International relations, microfinance, business development and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and agriculture.

The delegation met with the following officials in Ankara, Republic of Turkey:

• His Excellency Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey;
• His Excellency Mr. Mustafa Şentop, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly;
• Mr. Mehmet Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism; and
• Mr. Ziya Selçuk, Minister of National Education.

In Istanbul, the delegates also met with the Turkey-Canada Business Council and leaders from the Turkish private business sector. The exchanges lead to a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing Canadian businesses in Turkey.

The purpose of the visit to Egypt and Turkey was to strengthen bilateral ties with those two countries, to promote democratic values and Canadian interests, and to contribute to good public governance through the sharing of information and the exchange of best practices. The visit also provided an opportunity to discuss issues related to trade and international development and regional security. Finally, the visit provided an occasion to discuss issues related to educational cooperation.

The report will be available once it has been tabled in the Senate.