Visit to Canada of His Excellency Kassa Tekeleberihan Gebrehiwot, Speaker of the House of the Federation of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and a Parliamentary Delegation

From September 13 to 20, 2014, His Excellency Kassa Tekeleberihan Gebrehiwot, Speaker of the House of the Federation of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, led a delegation to Ottawa and Toronto at the invitation of the Honorable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate. The delegation was composed of Mr. Maeregu Habtemariam Kazentet, Director, Forum of Federations Ethiopia Country Office; Mr. Yakob Bekele Hundie, Acting Director, Democratic Union and Intergovernmental Relations Strengthening; and Mr. Gizachew Mulugeta Wendimu, Protocol Officer, Secretariat of the House of the Federation. Her Excellency Birtukan Ayano Dadi. Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to Canada, as well as other members of the diplomatic corps, accompanied the official delegation.

In Ottawa, the delegation held meetings with:

• The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate;
• The Honourable Andrew Scheer, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons;
• The Honourable John Baird, P.C., M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs;
• The Honourable Mauril Bélanger, P.C., M.P., Co-Chair of the Canada–Africa Parliamentary Association, as well as other members of the Parliamentary Association;
• Several Senators and MPs on the occasion of an official dinner hosted by Speaker Kinsella and a luncheon hosted by Speaker Scheer;
• Mr. Gary W. O’Brien, Clerk of the Senate; and
• Dr. Roseann Runte, President of Carleton University.

In Toronto, the delegation participated in the first ever Canada-Africa Business Summit organized by the Canadian Council on Africa. In addition, the delegation toured the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and met with senior officials of the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs. The delegation also met with faculty members of the University of Toronto and had the opportunity to meet with representatives of Canadian-Ethiopian community.

The visit of the Ethiopian parliamentary delegation served to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. Speaker Kassa also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Speaker of the Senate outlining their commitment to foster good relations and effective cooperation, lend mutual support and cooperation on issues of common concern and confirm the importance of exchanging visits as well as coordination in international parliamentary forums for the benefit of both Parliaments.