From November 3 to 5, 2019, the Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C., attended the Sixth G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit in Tokyo, Japan. Accompanying the Speaker were Mrs. Karen Furey, Mr. Stuart Barnable, Chief of Staff to the Speaker, and Mr. David-Andrés Novoa, Secretary to the delegation.
Prior to the Summit, Canada’s Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Ian Burney, and other officials from the Embassy of Canada to Japan briefed the Speaker at the official residence. The officials gave an overview of the current political context in the country and addressed the state of the national economy as well as the challenges facing Japanese society. The strong bilateral relations were also discussed, particularly since Canada is marking 90 years of diplomatic relations with Japan. This has been reflected by the recent high-level visits between the two countries and by the ratification of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
The day of the Summit, Speakers had the opportunity to understand and exchange their perspectives on the three main agenda themes: 1) promotion of free, open and fair trade and investment; 2) utilization of innovative technology towards a human-centered future society; and 3) efforts towards resolution of global challenges and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Speaker Furey was invited by the organizers to deliver a keynote address on the topic of free and fair trade. He took this opportunity to outline Canada’s efforts to promote access for women in trade and to advance gender equality and other gender-related objectives in its free trade agreements.
On the margins of the Summit, the Speaker had the opportunity to meet with other counterparts. He met with Ms. Gabriela Cuevas Barron, President, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). They discussed upcoming IPU activities in which Canadian Parliamentarians could play a role. He met with the host of the G20, Her Excellency Akiko Santo, President of the House of Councillors of Japan, to discuss the strength of bilateral relations and how to enhance those strong bonds. Speaker Furey then encountered His Excellency Mustafa Şentop, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, where opportunities to strengthen bilateral relations were discussed. Finally, the Speaker met with Her Excellency Laura Angélica Rojas Hernández, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico, and Mexican Senator Nancy De la Sierra Arámburo. Together, they exchanged perspectives on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement and shared some insights on the Canadian experience with regard to the legalization of recreational cannabis.
At the end of the Summit a Joint Statement was adopted by the Speakers.