Visit to Canada of His Excellency Luka Bebić, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia, and a Parliamentary Delegation

From June 6 to 11, 2009, His Excellency Luka Bebić, President of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia, led a parliamentary delegation to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal at the invitation of the Honourable Peter Milliken, Speaker of the House of Commons. The delegation was composed of Mrs. Želijka Antunović, M.P., Vice-President of the Parliament, Mr. Boris Kunst, M.P., Chairman of the Labor and Social Partnership Committee and Chairman of the Croatia-Canada Parliamentary Group, Mrs. Marina Štancl, International Relations Assistant to the Secretary General of the Croatian Parliament and Chief of Protocol, as well as Mrs. Marina Octenjak, Adviser to the President and Interpretor. Her Excellency Vesela Mrđen Korać, Ambassador of Croatia to Canada, and Mr. Ivo Valsilj, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Croatia in Canada, also accompanied the delegation during their stay.

In Ottawa, the delegation held meetings with:

• Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada;
• The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate;
• The Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons;
• The Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P., Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism;
• Members of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association; and
• Members of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association.

In Montreal, the delegation met with:

• Dr. Ante Pađen, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine.

The members of the delegation began their visit in Toronto where they visited the CN Tower and did some sightseeing in Niagara Falls. In the nation’s capital, the delegates visited the Canadian Museum of Civilization and, in Montreal, they took a guided tour of Old Montreal.

During his visit, President Bebićexpressed his appreciation regarding the March 2009 announcement that Canada would lift visa requirements for Croatian nationals wishing to visit Canada. During their stay, the delegation met with members of Croatian communities in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.