Visit of the Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C., Speaker of the Senate of Canada, United Kingdom

From May 13 to 17, 2016, the Speaker of the Senate of Canada, the Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C., conducted an official visit to the United Kingdom. Accompanying the Speaker were Mrs. Karen Furey, Mr. Michel Patrice, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel and Chief Parliamentary Precinct Services Officer, and Mr. Stuart Barnable, Chief of Staff.

While in Windsor, Speaker Furey had the highest honour of representing the Parliament of Canada at The Queen`s 90th Birthday Celebration at Windsor Castle in the gracious presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

The Speaker also attended the official presentation of the Canadian/RCMP horse to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The gift of a horse to celebrate Her Majesty's 90th Birthday continues the Canadian legacy of the living gift, which dates back to the presentation of Burmese to the Queen in 1969.

In London, the delegation held meetings with:

• Her Excellency the Right Honourable the Baroness D'Souza, CMG, Lord Speaker of the House of Lords;
• The Right Honourable Lindsay Hoyle, M.P., Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Chairman of Ways & Means;
• Right Honourable the Lord Laming, CBE DL, Chairman of Committees;
• David Beamish, Clerk of the Parliaments;
• Lieutenant-General David Leaky, CMG CBE, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod;
• Mr. Paul Martin, Parliamentary Security Director.

The main objectives of the visit were to discuss governance issues in relation to the security of a parliamentary precinct and the role of the convenor in representing the interests of the crossbenchers in the House of Lords. Also discussed were issues of common interest to both the Parliament of Canada and the Palace of Westminster such as the long term vision and planning of a historical parliamentary precinct.

While in London, the delegation also met with Mr. Gordon Campbell, Canada's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. The delegation was briefed on key issues such as the referendum on the United Kingdom's membership in the European Union, geopolitical issues in Europe and more specifically security matters.