Visit of the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate, and a Parliamentary Delegation, France and Federal Republic of Germany
From November 18 to 24, 2012, the Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, led a parliamentary delegation on a visit to France and the Federal Republic of Germany. The delegation was composed of Mrs. Ann Kinsella, as well as the Honourable Senators Claudette Tardif and Judith Seidman. Accompanying the delegation were Ms. Janelle Feldstein, Chief of Staff of the Speaker of the Senate, and Mr. Michel Marcotte, Secretary to the delegation.
In France, the delegation met with:
- Mr. Jean-Pierre Bel, President of the French Senate;
- Monseigneur Luigi Ventura, Apostolic Nuncio in France;
- Mr. Édouard Philippe, M.P. and Mayor of Le Havre;
- Mr. Sébastien Jumel, Mayor of Dieppe, and Ms. Martine Laquièze, Deputy Prefect for Dieppe;
- Mr. Gilles Fournier, President of the Supervisory Board for the Port of Le Havre and Mr. Jean-Baptiste Gastinne, Municipal Councillor and Assistant to the Mayor of Le Havre;
- Ms. Carine Camby, Director of the General Delegation of the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris (CIUP); and
- Mr. Pierre Letartre, Director of the Canadian Students’ House (MEC).
The delegation also visited the Port of Le Havre, as well as the Canadian memorial at the foot of the cliffs of Dieppe where they laid a wreath on behalf of the Senate of Canada in memory of the fallen, and the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery (Cimetière des vertus) at Hautot-sur-Mer where they laid flowers on some tombstones.
During a dinner at the residence of the Canadian Ambassador in France, the delegation met Ms. Hélène Conway-Mouret, Minister Delegate for French Nationals Abroad, Senator Claudine Lepage, Ms. Catherine Coutelle, Deputy (PS), Chair of the France-Canada Interparliamentary Association, Senator Louis Duvernois (UMP), Ms. Marie-Christine Saragosse, President and CEO of Audiovisuel extérieur de France, Ms. Anne-Marie Cordelle, President of the Richelieu Senghor Circle of Paris, and Mr. Bernard Cerquiglini, Rector of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie.
The delegation was also invited by the France–Canada Friendship Group to meet a large number of French parliamentarians, including Senator Claudine Lepage (Chair of the France–Canada Friendship Group in the Senate), Ms. Corinne Narassiguin (Chair of the France–Canada Friendship Group in the National Assembly), Senators Karine Claireaux, Catherine Morin-Desailly, Charles Revet, Hervé Maurey, Pierre-Yves Collombat, Jean-Claude Lenoir, Catherine Deroche, Christiane Kammermann, Jacques Cornano, Jean-Léonce Dupont and Jean-Pierre Plancade.
In Germany, the delegation met with:
- Mr. Winfried Kretschmann, President of the Bundesrat and Minister-President of the State of Baden-Württemberg;
- Mr. Norbert Lammert, President of the Bundestag;
- Ms. Hannelore Kraft, Minister-President of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia;
- Ms. Annette Schavan, Minister of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany;
- Ms. Bilkay Öney, Minister of Integration of the Federal Republic of Germany;
- Mr. Alexander Bonde, Minister of Rural Affairs and Consumer Protection for Baden-Württemberg; and
- Mr. Markus Löning, Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid.
In Stuttgart, the delegation was invited to the state Parliament (Landtag), the seat of the government for Baden-Württemberg, also known as the Villa Reitzenstein, and visited a regional museum called “Haus des Geschichte”.
In Berlin, the delegation was officially recognized at the 903rd Plenary Session of the Bundesrat and also attended a concert, “Mendelssohn Bartholdy”, in the plenary room of the Bundesrat, and also visited the Berlin Wall Memorial, accompanied by the Director of the Berlin Wall Foundation, Mr. Axel Klausmeier.
In Hamburg, the delegation had the opportunity to explore the port facilities and engage in an in-depth discussion with the Hamburg port authorities. The delegation also visited the fully automated HHLA (Hamburg Hafen und Logistik AG) container terminal and discussed business opportunities for Canadian ports with representatives from HHLA Container Terminals GmbH.
The purpose of the visit was to enhance relations between Canada and France, as well as Germany, encourage ongoing parliamentary dialogue by further promoting parliamentary exchanges, highlight the range of Canada’s interests in the region, discuss foreign policies with respect to issues of international and mutual interest, promote educational exchanges, promote research sharing in the area of agriculture, promote collaboration between container shipping ports, and pursue good relations in all fields of contact.