Visit of the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Senator, Speaker of the Senate, and a Parliamentary Delegation, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland
From May 18 to 27, 2007, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate, led an official visit to the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The delegation was composed of the Honourable Senators Dan Hays, P.C., Lowell Murray, P.C., Janis Johnson, as well as Mr. Paul C. Bélisle, Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments, Mr. Charles Robert, Principal Clerk, Chamber Operations and Procedure Office and Ms. Janelle Feldstein, Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the Senate.
In London, the delegation met with:
- The Right Honourable Michael J. Martin, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons;
- The Right Honourable Alan Haselhurst, M.P., Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons;
- Mr. Robert Rogers, Clerk of Legislation;
- Sir Paul Hayter, Clerk of the Parliaments;
- Lord Tyler, member of the Joint Committee on Lords Reform;
- Lord Howe of Aberavon, member of the Joint Committee on Lords Reform;
- Lord Cunningham of Felling, member of the Joint Committee on Lords Reform;
- Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead, Law Lord;
- Lord Bingham of Cornhill, Law Lord; and
- Baroness Hayman, Lord Speaker of the House of Lords.
In Belfast, the delegation met with:
- Mr. Ian Paisley, First Minister;
- Mr. Martin McGuinness, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland;
- Mr. William Hay, Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly;
- Mr. Tony Logue, Clerk to the Assembly Commission;
- Mr. Tom Evans, Deputy Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Assembly;
- Mr. Joe Reynolds, Deputy Clerk to the Assembly Commission, Northern Ireland Assembly;
- Representatives of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland;
- Representatives of the International Fund for Ireland;
- Professor John Morison, Head of the Human Rights Centre at Queen's University, Belfast;
- Mr. Al Hutchison, Oversight Commissioner;
- Dr. Richard Barnett, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ulster;
- Dr. Susan Hodgett, Centre for Canadian Studies, University of Ulster; and
- Dr. Stephen Royle, Centre of Canadian Studies, Queen's University Belfast.
In the Republic of Ireland, the delegation met with:
- Mr. Carl Schwenger, Chargé d'affaires, Canadian Embassy;
- Mr. Richard Philippe, Senior Trade Commissioner, Canadian Embassy;
- Mr. Dermot Ahern, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
- Dr. Hugh Brady, President, University College Dublin;
- Senator Joe O'Toole;
- Mr. Dermot Gallagher, Secretary General; and
- Mr. Rory Montgomery, Political Director, Department of Foreign Affairs.
In addition to the official meetings in London, the delegation participated in a roundtable discussion on international student exchanges hosted by the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner. The delegation visited St. John's Gate, the headquarters of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, the Order that established St. John's Ambulance in Canada. The delegation also visited Westminster Cathedral where they met with the Archbishop, His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.
In the Republic of Ireland, in addition to its official visits, the delegation met with the Roman Catholic Primate of All Ireland, the Most Reverend Sean Brady. The delegation also travelled to Galway where Speaker Kinsella spoke at a conference on peacekeeping in Africa at the Irish Centre for Human Rights.