Visit of the Honourable Andrew Scheer, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Brazil

From March 15 to 20, 2015, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Honourable Andrew Scheer, M.P., led a parliamentary delegation to Brazil. The delegation consisted of the Honourable John McCallum, M.P.; Mr. Dave Van Kesteren, M.P.; and Ms. Alexandrine Latendresse, M.P. Accompanying the delegation were Ms. Kenzie Potter, Chief of Staff to the Speaker, and Mr. Simon Larouche, Delegation Secretary.

In Brasília, the delegation met with:

• The Honourable Eduardo Cunha, Deputy, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies;
• Mr. Sergio Danese, interim Minister of Foreign Affairs;
• Ms. Jô Moraes, Deputy, Chair, Chamber of Deputies Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee, and two members of the committee; and
• Mr. Aloysio Nunes, Senator, Chair, Senate Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee.

In Rio de Janeiro, the delegation met with:

• The Honourable Jorge Picciani, Deputy, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and a number of other deputies.

The delegation took part in round tables with representatives of the Canadian and Brazilian business communities as well as with specialists on Brazil in the cities of São Paulo, Brasília and Rio de Janeiro. The delegation also attended an official luncheon hosted by the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo and visited the Embrapa research centre in Brasília, which specializes in agri-energy.

The visit was intended to forge productive ties with the Chamber of Deputies; establish a Canada-Brazil parliamentary dialogue; learn about Brazilian views on the economy and international trade; and promote bilateral relations in the areas of defence, security and education.

The report will be available once it is tabled in the House of Commons.