Visit of the Honourable Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Ecuador and Chile
From May 16 to 21, 2010, the Speaker of the House of Commons led an official delegation to Ecuador and Chile. The delegation was composed of the Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., Mr. Michel Guimond, M.P., Ms. Denise Savoie, M.P., Mr. Bruce Stanton, M.P., Mr. Anthony Carricato, Events Officer, and Ms. Julie Pelletier, Delegation Secretary.
In Ecuador, the delegation met with:
- His Excellency Lenin Moreno, Vice-President of the Republic of Ecuador;
- His Excellency Fernando Cordero, President of the National Assembly;
- Mr. Kintto Lucas, Acting Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs;
- Ms. Marcela Miranda, President of the Citizen Participation and Social Control Council;
- Mr. Fernando Cedeno Rivadeneira, Vice-President of the Citizen Participation and Social Control Council;
- Representatives of Canadian mining companies; and
- Representatives of Ecuadorian and South American civil society.
The visit served to highlight the importance Canada attaches to its relations with Ecuador and to strengthen parliamentary and diplomatic ties between the two countries. The delegation discussed political and economic issues of mutual interest, including mining issues, the state of democracy in the country, the parliamentary system, and the new government structure created by the adoption of a new Constitution in 2008, as well as the electoral process.
During the visit, the delegation had an opportunity to visit the future Quito International Airport, financed in large part through Canadian funding, the National Assembly of the Republic of Ecuador, the Cities of Otavalo and Cotacachi, as well as the Mitad del Mundo monument.
In Chile, the delegation met with:
- Her Excellency Alejandra Sepúlveda, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, and members of the Chamber of Deputies.
The delegation travelled to Chile to hear the First Address to the Nation by Chile's new President, His Excellency Sebastián Piñeras, elected on January 17, 2010. The delegation also had the opportunity to attend an event given by the Chile Symphony Orchestra. The visit also served to highlight the importance Canada attaches to its relations with Chile, to express the sympathies of the House of Commons of Canada following the earthquake in Chile on February 27, 2010, and to strengthen parliamentary and diplomatic ties between the two countries.
During the visit, the delegation gave an information session for employees at the Canadian Embassy in Santiago on the Canadian parliamentary system. The delegation also had the opportunity to tour the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile and the Viña Indómita vineyard, located in the Casablanca Valley.