Visit of the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Senator, Speaker of the Senate, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Italy, Portugal and Russia
On October 25 and 26, 2007, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Senator, Speaker of the Senate held meetings in Rome to follow-up on two current projects, sponsored by the Senate of Canada, that would contribute to the level of understanding of Canadians and Italians on the bilateral relations between their countries, one on cultural exchanges and the other on internships for students.
In Italy, the Speaker of the Senate met with:
- His Excellency Franco Marini, Senator, President of the Senate of the Italian Republic;
- The Honourable Fausto Bertinotti, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Republic; and
- The Honourable Nicola Latorre, Senator, Deputy Whip of the Parliamentary Group Ulivo.
In Italy, the Speaker of the Senate also participated to the Signing Ceremony for a Convention between LUISS Guido Carli and the Senate of Canada where he signed a Memorandum of Understanding to foster internships of LUISS University students in the Senate of Canada. During this visit, the Speaker of the Senate also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Senate of the Italian Republic to explore the possibility that the Canadian Museum of Civilization present one of its exhibitions on the premises of the Italian Senate.
From October 28 to November 2, 2007, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Senator, Speaker of the Senate, and the Honourable Sharon Carstairs, P.C., Senator, made an official visit to Portugal. The visit was in reply to an invitation from the President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, His Excellency Jaime José Matos de Gama.
In Portugal, the delegation met with:
- His Excellency Dr. Jaime José Matos de Gama, President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic;
- Mr. Antonío Filipe, Vice-President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic;
- Mr. Ricardo Rodrigues, M.P., Chairman of the Portugal-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group;
- Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee;
- Dr. António Braga, Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities;
- Mr. Manuel Heitor, Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education;
- Ms. Ana Paula Vitorino, Secretary of State for Transport;
- Mr. Luis Filipe Menezes, Leader of the Opposition, Social Democratic Party;
- Cardinal José da Cruz Policarpo, Patriarch of Lisbon;
- Dr. Augusto de Albuquerque de Athayde, President of the Sovereign Order of Malta;
- Ms. Doutora Luísa Leal de Faria, Vice-Rector of the Catholic University of Lisbon;
- Ms. Graça Almeida Rodrigues, Executive Director of the International Centre for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
- Mr. Duarte Mendes, Delegate for the High Commission for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue;
- Ms. Vera Marques, Delegate for the Jesuit Refugee Service; and
- Members of the Board of the Port of Sines.
From November 4 to 10, 2007, at the official invitation of His Excellency Sergey Mironov, Chairman of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Senator, Speaker of the Senate, and Honourable Senators Marcel Prud'homme, P.C., Pierre Claude Nolin and Paul J. Massicotte travelled to Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
In Russia, the delegation met with:
- His Excellency Sergey Mironov, Chairman of the Federation Council;
- Mr. Gennady Oleynik, Chairman, Federation Council Committee on Northern Affairs and Indigenous Peoples, and Chairman, Federation Council "Friends of Canada" Group;
- Mr. Anatoliy Liskov, Chairman, Federation Council Committee on Rights and Judicial Questions;
- Mr. Vladimir Lukin, Plenipotentiary Representative for Human Rights;
- Representatives from the Central Museum of the Great Fatherland War 1941–1945;
- Representatives from the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations;
- Representatives from the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
- Representatives from the Canadian Education Centre Network;
- Mr. Vatanyar Yagya, Representative of the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg for International Relations;
- Mr. Victor N. Lobko, Vice-Governor of Saint Petersburg;
- Representatives from the Saint Petersburg State University; and
- Representatives from eight Human Rights Non-Governmental Organizations in Moscow and in Saint Petersburg.
In Russia, the delegation also participated to the following events:
- Ceremony for the Donation of Canadian Artefacts to the Central Museum of the Great Fatherland War 1941–1945;
- Opening of a Round-table on Canada-Russia Relations at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
- Information Session at the Canadian Education Centre Network; and
- Address at the Saint Petersburg State University.
The visit aimed to improve Canada-Portugal and Canada-Russian relations and to strengthen existing diplomatic and parliamentary ties among the three countries. The delegation discussed economic and political issues of shared interest, as well as issues relating to human rights and international exchanges between post-secondary institutions. The delegation learned more about issues affecting Portugal and Russia, as well as the challenges these two countries face. Canada is always seeking to strengthen its trade and political relations with Portugal and Russia, and this visit was a wonderful opportunity to do so.