Visit of the Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C., Speaker of the Senate, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Hellenic Republic and United Kingdom

 

From April 11 to 21, 2022, the Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C., led parliamentary delegations to the Hellenic Republic and to the United Kingdom. In the Hellenic Republic, the delegation consisted of the Honourable Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain, the Honourable Senator Leo Housakos, and the Honourable Senator Tony Loffreda. In the United Kingdom, the delegation consisted of Mr. Gérald Lafrenière, Interim Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments, and Chief Legislative Services Officer. Accompanying the delegations were Ms. Karen Furey, Mr. Vince MacNeil, Chief of Staff to the Speaker, and Ms. Catherine Cuerrier, Secretary to the delegation.

The delegation met with the following officials in Athens, Hellenic Republic:

• His Excellency Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister;
• His Excellency Constantine An. Tassoulas, President of the Hellenic Parliament;
• His Beatitude Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece;
• His Excellency Adonis Georgiadis, Minister for Development and Investments;
• Her Excellency Niki Kerameos, Minister of Education and Religious Affairs;
• His Excellency Christos Stylianides, Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection;
• Mr. John Chrysoulakis, Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy;
• Mr. George Katrougalos, Member of Parliament, Representative of the SYRIZA Party;
• Mr. Stavros Keletsis, Chairman of the Greece-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group;
• Ms. Vasso Theodorakopoulou-Bogri, Regional Vice-Governor of Attica Islands;
• Mr. Konstantinos Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens; and
• Mr. George Koukoudakis, Mayor of Hydra.

The purpose of the visit to the Hellenic Republic was to strengthen bilateral relations between the Hellenic Republic and Canada, promote democratic values and Canadian interests, enhance trade and investment relations, encourage wider cooperation in the field of education and learn how the Hellenic Parliament adapted, lay down markers on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) unity and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) ratification and responded to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, while sharing the experience of the Parliament of Canada. Finally, the visit aimed to highlight the importance of the diplomatic relations that the Hellenic Republic and Canada have maintained for over 80 years.

The delegation met with the following officials in London, England:

• The Right Honourable Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons;
• Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Senior Deputy Speaker, House of Lords;
• Mr. Simon Burton, Clerk of the Parliaments, House of Lords;
• Ms. Alison Giles, Director of Security for Parliament; and
• Ms. Meg Russell, Professor of British and Comparative Politics and Director of the Constitution Unit, University College London.

The delegation met with the following official in Windsor, England:

• Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The purpose of the visit to the United Kingdom was to strengthen relations between the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the Parliament of Canada. The delegation had the opportunity to discuss a range of issues relating to parliamentary governance including the security of parliamentarians and parliamentary precinct, the reform of the House of Lords and the changes in parliamentary practice and procedure imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally, while in England, Speaker Furey travelled to Windsor and had the great honour to be granted an audience with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Speaker Furey delivered to Her Majesty a written address of congratulations on the platinum jubilee year of her reign as Queen of Canada.

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