Visit of the Honourable Andrew Scheer, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Italy and the Holy See

From September 8 to 10, 2014, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Honourable Andrew Scheer, M.P., led a parliamentary delegation on a visit to Italy and the Holy See. The delegation was composed of Mr. Joe Comartin, M.P.; Mr. Paul Calandra, M.P.; and Ms. Lise St Denis, M.P. Accompanying the delegation were Ms. Jill Scheer; Ms. Kenzie Potter, Chief of Staff of the Speaker of the House of Commons; and Mr. Simon Larouche, Secretary to the delegation.

In Rome, the delegation met with:

• The Honourable Laura Boldrini, Deputy, President of the Chamber of Deputies; and
• Mr. Fabrizio Cicchitto, Deputy, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Chamber of Deputies.

At the Holy See, the delegation met with:

• His Eminence Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops;
• His Eminence Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States; and
• His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

In addition to these meetings, the delegation attended a plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies and visited the seat of the Chamber of Deputies, the Palazzo Montecitorio. Speaker Scheer met separately with His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.

The purpose of the visit was to foster meaningful relations with the Holy See and with the recently elected President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Italy, the Honourable Laura Boldrini; maintain a parliamentary dialogue between Canada and Italy; learn about Italian perspectives on trade and the economy; and promote bilateral relations on security, defence and education.