Visit of the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Czech Republic
From October 10 to 14, 2010, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate, led an official delegation composed of the Honourable Senators Ethel Cochrane and Tommy Banks, to the Czech Republic.
In the Czech Republic, the delegation met with:
- His Excellency Přemysl Sobotka, President of the Senate of the Czech Republic;
- Her Excellency Miroslava Němcová, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies;
- His Excellency Karel Schwarzenberg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs;
- Mr. Jiří Dienstbier, Senator and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security of the Senate and members of the Committee;
- Mr. Jan Hajda, Senator and Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Economy, Agriculture and Transport of the Senate and members of the Committee;
- Mr. Václav Jehlička, Senator, Member of the Senate Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions of the Senate;
- His Serene Highness Grand Prior Fra' Karel Paar, Grand Priory of Bohemia of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta;
- Most Reverend Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague, Metropolitan and Primate of Bohemia;
- Mrs. Marie Kousalíková, Deputy Mayor of the City of Prague;
- Ms. Eva Bartoňová, Deputy Minister of Education;
- Mrs. Noemi Ceřovská, Institute for Experimental Botany, The Academy of Science of the Czech Republic;
- Mr. Petr Dedic, Potato Research Institute in Halvlickuv Brod;
- Mr. Lukáš Fischer, Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Charles University in Prague;
- Mr. Jiban Kumar, Crop Research Institute in Prague;
- Mr. Tomas Moravec, Institute for Experimental Botany, The Academy of Science of the Czech Republic;
- Mr. Zdeněk Opatrný, Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Charles University in Prague; and
- Mr. Pavel Ryšánek, Department of Plant Protection, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.
During the visit, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella gave the opening address at the Gala Opening of the International Conference on National Minorities and the Integration of Foreigners during 20 Years of Freedom hosted by the City of Prague.
The objectives of the visit were to:
- enhance relations between Canada and the Czech Republic;
- encourage ongoing parliamentary dialogue by further promoting parliamentary exchanges;
- highlight the range of Canada’s interests in the region;
- discuss foreign policies with respect to issues of international and mutual interest;
- promote educational exchanges;
- promote research sharing in the area of agriculture;
- promote collaboration between container shipping ports; and
- pursue good relations in all fields of contact.