Visit of the Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Australia
From August 22 to 31, 2008, the Speaker of the House of Commons led a parliamentary delegation on an official visit to Australia. The delegation consisted of the Honourable Jay Hill, P.C., M.P.; the Honourable Gerry Byrne, P.C., M.P.; the Honourable Terry Stratton, Senator; the Honourable James Cowan, Senator; Mr. Paul Szabo, M.P.; and Mr. Yvon Godin, M.P. Accompanying the delegation were Ms. Heather Bradley, Director of Communications, Office of the Speaker, and Mr. Rémi Bourgault, Delegation Secretary.
In Canberra, the delegation met with:
- The Honourable Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia;
- The Honourable John Hogg, Speaker of the Australian Senate;
- The Honourable Harry Jenkins, Speaker of the House of Representatives;
- The Honourable Dr. Brendan Nelson, M.P., Leader of the Opposition;
- The Honourable Christopher Evans, Senator, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration;
- The Honourable Joel Fitzgibbon, M.P., Minister of Defence;
- The Honourable Jenny Macklin, M.P., Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs;
- The Honourable Stephen Smith, M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs;
- The Honourable Christopher Ellison, Senator, Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Immigration;
- The Honourable Andrew Robb, AO, M.P., Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs;
- The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade chaired by the Honourable Michael Forshaw, Senator;
- The Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs of the House of Representatives chaired by Mr. Richard Marles, M.P.;
- The Standing Committee on Procedure of the House of Representatives chaired by Ms. Julie Owens, M.P.;
- Members of the Australia-Canada Parliamentary Group chaired by Ms. Jill Hall, M.P.;
- Mr. Harry Evans, Clerk of the Senate; and
- Mr. Ian Harris, AO, Clerk of the House of Representatives.
In the State of Queensland, Gold Coast and Brisbane, the delegation met with:
- The Honourable Mike Reynolds, AM, Speaker of the Queensland Parliament;
- Mr. Ron Clarke, MBE, Mayor of the City of Gold Coast;
- Mr. Andrew Everett, Director, University of Queensland;
- Mr. Nick Harris, State Manager, Commerce Queensland; and
- Mr. Grayson Perry, Manager, City of Gold Coast.
In the State of South Australia and Adelaide, the delegation met with:
- His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, AC, CSC, RANR, Governor of South Australia;
- The Honourable Jack Snelling, Speaker of the Parliament of South Australia; and
- Mr. Stephen Strachan, CEO, Winemakers' Federation of Australia.
The purpose of the visit was to renew and strengthen relations between Canada and Australia by promoting the establishment of ongoing parliamentary dialogue and future parliamentary exchanges. It provided opportunities for discussion on foreign policy involving issues of international and mutual interest, and on subjects of common interest arising from our membership in various multilateral organizations.
In addition to these meetings, the delegation was invited to attend a sitting of the Australian Senate and House of Representatives. The delegates took a guided tour of the Parliament Building and the Australian War Memorial, where they placed a wreath and paused for a moment of silence in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. To get a better idea of Australia's many different regions, the delegation travelled to Gold Coast, one of the country's fastest-growing urban agglomerations, as well as to Brisbane and Adelaide, both state capitals.