Visit of the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate, and a Parliamentary Delegation, France
From May 16 to 21, 2008, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate, led an official delegation composed of the Honourable Senators Gerald J. Comeau, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate; Serge Joyal, P.C.; Jean-Claude Rivest; W. David Angus, Q.C.; Pierre Claude Nolin and Lise Bacon, President of the Canada-France Inter-Parliamentary Association. The delegation also included Ms. Ann Kinsella; Mr. Paul C. Bélisle, Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments; Ms. Janelle Feldstein, Chief of Staff of the Speaker of the Senate and Ms. Julie Pelletier, Secretary to the delegation.
In Paris, the delegation met with:
- His Excellency Christian Poncelet, President of the Senate;
- His Excellency Bernard Accoyer, President of the National Assembly;
- Mr. Roger Karoutchi, Secretary of State for Parliamentary Relations;
- Mr. Marcel-Pierre Cléach, Senator for Sarthe and Chair of the Canada-France Senatorial Friendship Group;
- Mr. Denis Detcheverry, Senator for Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon;
- His Eminence André-Armand Cardinal Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, President of the Conference of Bishops;
- Mr. Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director-General, UNESCO;
- Mr. Alain Delcamp, Secretary General of the Senate;
- Mr. Robert Provansal, Secretary General of the Questure;
- Ms. Louise Blais, Director of the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris; and
- Mr. Kishore Singh, Ms. Liliana Simionesco and Ms. Zeynep Varoglu, Programme Specialists, Education Sector, UNESCO.
At the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, the delegation met with:
- Mr. Bernard Omiel, Mayor of Beaumont-Hamel.
In Arras, the delegation met with:
- Mr. Jean-Marie Vanlerenberghe, Senator for Pas-de-Calais and Mayor of Arras;
- Ms. Catherine Génisson, Member for Pas-de-Calais and Deputy President of the National Assembly;
- Ms. Jacqueline Maquet, Member for Pas-de-Calais; and
- Representatives of Mgr. Jean-Paul Jaeger, Bishop of Arras.
In Ablain-St-Nazaire, the delegation met with:
- Mr. Dominique Robillart, Mayor of Ablain St Nazaire;
- Mr. François Malhanche, Deputy Prefect for Arras; and
- Mr. Michel Haute, President of the Association of Honour Guards of the Notre Dame de Lorette national cemetery.
In Honfleur, the delegation met with:
- Mr. Raymond Destin, Senior Deputy to the Mayor of Honfleur;
- Ms. Danielle Ragel, Deputy to the Mayor of Honfleur; and
- Ms. Martine Lemonnier, Deputy to the Mayor of Honfleur.
In the context of celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City, the visit served to highlight the importance Canada attaches to its relations with France and to strengthen parliamentary and diplomatic ties between the two countries. The delegation discussed political and economic issues of mutual interest, including, during round tables, the democratic reform currently underway in France, the position of France and the rest of the European Union with regard to the seal hunt issue, as well as international exchanges between post secondary institutions. The delegation also gathered to honour the memory of the Canadian soldiers who died on the battlefields of France during World War I at the Beaumont-Hamel and Vimy memorials. In Paris, the delegation also had the chance to visit the Musée du Luxembourg and the Sorbonne.
The official visit served to enhance relations between Canada and France and to strengthen interparliamentary communication between our countries.