Visit of the Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C., Speaker of the Senate, and a Parliamentary Delegation, France and Latvia
From September 10 to 15, 2017, the Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C., led a parliamentary delegation on a visit to France and Latvia. The delegation was composed of the Honourable Norman E. Doyle, Senator, the Honourable Patricia E. Bovey, Senator, Ms. Gudie Hutchings, M.P., and Ms. Nicole Proulx, Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments. Accompanying the delegation were Mr. Stuart Barnable, Chief of Staff of the Speaker of the Senate, and Ms. Evelyne Côté, Secretary to the delegation.
In Latvia, the delegation met with:
- His Excellency Maris Kucinskis, Prime Minister;
- His Excellency Raimonds Vejonis, President;
- Her Excellency Inara Murniece, Speaker of the Saeima;
- His Excellency Edgars Rinkevics, Minister of Foreign Affairs;
- Mr. Raimonds Bergmanis, Minister of Defence;
- Col. Josh J. Major, Commander Task Force Latvia; and
- Mr. Janis Sarts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre for Excellence.
In Riga, Speaker Furey had the privilege to address the Saeima. In addition, the delegation had the opportunity to visit the Adaži Military Base where Canada is leading a multinational NATO battlegroup aiming to maintain stability in the region. During the visit, the delegation was able to meet with troops from Canada, Latvia, Albania, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. To increase its awareness of Latvia’s culture and history, the delegation visited the Museum of Occupation and the Latvian National Museum of Art.
The purposes of the visit to Latvia were to strengthen relations with Latvia, reaffirm Canada’s commitment to NATO as well as emphasize the ratification of EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. The delegation also discussed matters such as parliamentary cooperation and the current situation in the Baltic States.
While in France, the delegation had the solemn honour of visiting three of the major battlefield memorials of the Caribou Trail. The memorials of Beaumont-Hamel, Masnières and Monchy-le-Preux were built to commemorate the accomplishments, contributions and sacrifices of Newfoundland soldiers during the First World War. The delegation laid a wreath at the three sites to pay tribute to fallen Newfoundlanders who served during the First World War.
In addition to the above events, the delegation also met with senior officials of the Embassy of Canada in France and was briefed on geopolitical developments in Europe, the implementation of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, as well as obtaining insight on the transition period for Brexit and what it means for Canada and France trade bilateral relations.