Visit of the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Senator, Speaker of the Senate, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Panama and Costa Rica
From January 17 to 24, 2007, the Speaker of the Senate led a parliamentary delegation composed of the Honourable Raynell Andreychuk, Senator and the Honourable William Rompkey, Senator. This delegation visited Panama from January 17 to 20 and Costa Rica from January 20 to 24.
The delegation met with:
- His Excellency Samuel Lewis Navarro, First Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama;
- His Excellency Elias Castillo, President of the National Assembly of Panama;
- Mr. Ricaurte Vasquez, Minister of Canal Issues;
- Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly;
- Members of the Human Rights Committee of the National Assembly;
- Members of the Canada-Panama Parliamentary Friendship Society;
- Mr. Alberto Aleman Zubieta, Panama Canal Authority Administrator;
- Dr. Marco Fernandez, Partner, INDESA;
- Mr. Jorge Arosemena, Executive Director, City of Knowledge;
- Mr. Jose Eguren, Director, United Nations Development Program;
- Dr. Catherine Potvin, Head of McGill Program, City of Knowledge;
- Ms. Virginia Machiavello, St. Clair College;
- Representatives of Panamanian Universities; and
- Representatives of Human Rights Organizations.
- His Excellency Oscar Arias, President of the Republic of Costa Rica;
- His Excellency Francisco Pacheco, President of the Assembly;
- Mr. Bruno Stagno, Foreign Minister;
- Ms. Janina del Vecchio, President of the International Relations Committee of the Legislative Assembly;
- Mr. Alexander Mora, President of Legal Affairs Committee;
- Ms. Lesvia Villalobos, President of the Human Rights Committee;
- Mr. Justice Sergio Garcia, President, Inter-American Court of Human Rights;
- Dr. Lisbeth Quesada, Ombudswoman;
- Dr. Yamileth Gonzalez, Rector, University of Costa Rica;
- Ms. Sonia Picado, President of the Institute of Human Rights;
- Mr. Georges Tsaï, Acting Rector, United Nations University for Peace.
The visit sought to underscore the importance of relations between Canada and Panama and Canada and Costa Rica, as well as to strengthen interparliamentary communication between our countries. The delegation discussed subjects of mutual interest, particularly in the fields of human rights and international exchanges between post-secondary institutions and gained firsthand knowledge of the hemispheric issues and challenges facing the Central American region. Canada’s ties with the region include its participation at the Organization of American States (OAS) and its active involvement in the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA).