Visit to Canada of His Excellency Wolfgang Erlitz, President of the Federal Council of the Republic of Austria, and a Parliamentary Delegation

From November 25 to 30, 2007, at the invitation of the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate, His Excellency Wolfgang Erlitz, President of the Federal Council of the Republic of Austria, led a parliamentary delegation to Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto. The delegation was composed of Mrs. Anna Elisabeth Haselbach, M.P., Vice-President of the Federal Council; Professor Albrecht Konecny, M.P., Chairman of the SPÖ (Social Democratic Party) group in the Federal Council; Mr. Ludwig Bieringer, M.P., Chairman of the ÖVP (People’s Party) group in the Federal Council; Mr. Hans Ager, M.P., Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federal Council; Mr. Stefan Schennach, M.P., Chairman of the Green Party’s (GRÜNEN) group in the Federal Council; Mrs. Susanne Bachmann, Director of the Federal Council; and Mr. Lukas Mussi, Secretary to the delegation. The delegation was also accompanied by His Excellency Otto Ditz, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria, as well as other representatives from the Diplomatic Corps.

While in Canada, the delegates had an opportunity to participate in several meetings in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. During their visit, the delegates met with:

In Ottawa:

• The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Senator, Speaker of the Senate;
• The Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons;
• The Honourable Rose-Marie Losier-Cool, Senator, Speaker pro Tempore of the Senate;
• The Honourable Diane Finley, P.C., M.P., Minister of Citizenship and Immigration;
• The Honourable Lorna Milne, Senator, President of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association;
• Mr. Leon Benoit, M.P., Chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association;
• Mr. Graham Fraser, Commissioner of Official Languages;
• Mr. George R.M. Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer at the Forum of Federations; and
• Mr. Felix Knüpling, Director of the Europa Program at the Forum of Federations.

In Montreal:

• Ms. Diane de Courcy, President of the Montreal School Board;
• Mr. Peter Leuprecht, Director of the Institute of International Studies of Montreal;
• Ms. Alice Herscovitch, Director of the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Museum; and
• Ms. Sylvia Gehrer, Representatives of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

In Toronto:

• The Honourable Michael Chan, M.P., Minister of Citizenship and Immigration of Ontario;
• Ms. Elizabeth Sandals, M.P.P., Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education of Ontario;
• His Worship David Miller, Mayor of the City of Toronto; and
• Representatives from Magna International.

The visit provided an opportunity to pursue bilateral relations between both countries, meet with various Canadian federal, provincial and municipal government officials, as well as visit several Austrian communities established in Canada. Discussions were held on the functioning of Parliament in Canada and on the topics of education, multiculturalism and federalism. The delegation of the Republic of Austria showed a particular interest in our immigration and integration policy model since they are key issues at the moment for the Austrian government.