Visit to Canada of His Excellency Dr. Norbert Lammert, President of the Federal Diet (Deutscher Bundestag) of the Federal Republic of Germany, and a Parliamentary Delegation

From January 31 to February 5, 2008, at the invitation of the Honourable Peter Milliken, Speaker of the House of Commons, His Excellency Dr. Norbert Lammert, President of the Federal Diet (Bundestag) led a parliamentary delegation to Ottawa, Nunavut and Montréal. The delegation was composed of the Vice-President of the Federal Diet (Bundestag), Mrs. Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Mr. Klaus-Peter Flosbach, M.P. and Mrs. Sybille Koch, Head of Protocol. The official delegation was also accompanied by His Excellency Matthias Martin A. Höpfner, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Canada, as well as other representatives from the Diplomatic Corps.

In Ottawa, the delegation met with:

• The Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons;
• The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Senator, Speaker of the Senate;
• The Honourable Paul Okalik, M.L.A., Premier of Nunavut;
• Members of the Canada-Germany Interparliamentary Group; and
• Mrs. Violet Ford, Vice-President on International Affairs, Inuit Circumpolar Council.

In Iqaluit and Pangnirtung, the delegation met with:

• The Honourable Peter Kilabuk, M.L.A., Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut;
• The Honourable Ann Meetkitjuk Hanson, Commissioner of Nunavut;
• Mr. Simon Awa, Deputy Minister of Environment;
• Mrs. Sheila-Watt-Cloutier, Environmental Activist and Nobel Prize Nominee;
• Mr. John E. Quirke, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut; and
• Mr. Claus Vogel, Teacher, Photographer and Journalist and his students of the Attagoyuk School.

In Montréal, the delegation met with:

• The Honourable Jean Charest, P.C., M.N.A., Premier of Québec;
• Mrs. Metchild Manus, Director of the Goethe Institute;
• Mr. Thomas Beshoner, DAAD Professor at the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies, University of Montréal;
• Ms. Karin Bauer, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of German Studies, McGill University;
• Representatives from the Montréal Cultural Scene; and
• Representatives of the Ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles.

The visit served to strengthen the special ties that have for so long united Canada and Germany. Discussions dealt with Canadian federalism, the way Parliament functions, academic cooperation, the involvement of both countries in Afghanistan as part of the NATO mission, and the immigration and integration process established by the Province of Québec. During the trip to Nunavut, the delegation was particularly interested in finding out how Canada's North and its inhabitants are affected by climate change, and in learning more about the traditional Inuit culture. The visit was also an opportunity for the German delegates to take a guided tour of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, to visit the Holocaust Museum and St. Joseph's Oratory in Montréal, and to meet with members of Montréal’s German community.