Visit of the Honourable Andrew Scheer, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Chile and Costa Rica
From October 6 to 13, 2012, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Honourable Andrew Scheer, M.P., led a parliamentary delegation on a visit to Chile and Costa Rica. The delegation was composed of Mr. Joe Comartin, M.P., Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and Chair of Committees of the Whole; Mr. Scott Andrews, M.P.; and Mr. Ed Holder, M.P. Accompanying the delegation were Ms. Kenzie Potter, Chief of Staff to the Speaker, and Mr. David Gagnon, Secretary to the delegation.
In Chile, the delegation met with:
- The Honourable Camilo Escalona Medina, President of the Senate;
- The Honourable Nicolás Monckeberg Díaz, President of the Chamber of Deputies;
- Mr. Jorge Tarud, President of the Foreign Affairs Commission at the Chamber of Deputies;
- Mr. Roberto Delmastro Naso, President of the Canada-Chile Parliamentary Group at the Chamber of Deputies;
- Mr. Pedro Muñoz, Member of Canada-Chile Parliamentary Group at the Senate of Chile; and
- Mr. Alvaro Clarke, President of ICR Chile.
While in Chile, the delegation also had the opportunity to attend a working dinner with the Canadian business community at the official residence of the Canadian Ambassador, Ms. Patricia Fuller.
In Costa Rica, the delegation met with:
- The Honourable Víctor Emilio Granados Calvo, President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica;
- Mr. José Enrique Castillo Barrantes, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica; and
- Ms. María Jeannette Ruiz Delgado, President of the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Permanent Commission.
While in Costa Rica, the delegation also had the opportunity to attend a business roundtable with the representatives of the Canadian business community.
The purpose of the visit was to promote parliamentary dialogue and future parliamentary exchanges. The delegation was particularly interested in matters of trade, the economy and agriculture. It provided the opportunity to discuss foreign policy on issues of international and mutual interest, as well as subjects of common interest arising from our membership in multilateral organizations.