Visit of the Honourable George J. Furey, K.C., Speaker of the Senate, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Republic of Latvia and Republic of Croatia

 

From March 12 to 17, 2023 the Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable George J. Furey, K.C., led a parliamentary delegation to the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Croatia. The delegation consisted of the Honourable Tony Dean, Senator, the Honourable Robert Black, Senator, and the Honourable Margaret Dawn Anderson, Senator. Accompanying the delegation were Mrs. Karen Furey, Mr. Vincent MacNeil, Chief of Staff, Office of the Speaker, and Ms. Ariane Calvert, Secretary to the delegation.

In Riga, Republic of Latvia, the delegation met with the following officials:

• His Excellency Egils Levits, President of Latvia;
• His Excellency Edvars Smiltēns, Speaker of the Saeima;
• His Excellency Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia;
• Ms. Ināra Mūrniece, Minister of Defence of Latvia;
• Ms. Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Minister of Justice of Latvia;
• Ms. Ilze Indriksone, Minister of Economics of Latvia; and
• Ms. Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima;

The delegation also visited the NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battlegroup at the Ādaži Military Base and met with representatives of the Latvian Land Forces Mechanized Infantry Brigade and of Canadian Armed Forces leading the NATO eFP Battlegroup in Latvia.

In Zagreb, Republic of Croatia the delegation met with the following officials:

• His Excellency Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia;
• His Excellency Gordan Jandroković, President of the Sabor;
• Mr. Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs;
• Mr. Davor Filipovic, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development;
• Mr. Željko Reiner, Deputy Speaker of the Sabor;
• Mr. Marin Lerotić, Member of the Sabor and Head of the Interparliamentary Friendship Group Croatia-Canada;
• Mr. Ante Bačić, Member of the Sabor and Head of the Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly;
• Mr. Marko Pavić, Head of the Committee for Regional Development and EU Funds; and
• Ms. Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, former President of Croatia.

The purpose of the visit to the Republic of Latvia was to showcase Canada’s commitment to Latvia and to discuss foreign and defence policies of international and common interests, particularly the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Accordingly, the delegation reiterated Canada’s support for Latvia as it faces the consequences of this invasion. The visit was also to strengthen bilateral ties between both countries and reinforce parliamentary cooperation.

The visit to the Republic of Croatia served to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Canada and Croatia and to significantly strengthen and broaden relations with that country. It also allowed the delegation to promote democratic values and explore opportunities for Canadian companies to invest in Croatia and enhance trade and commercial relations. In addition, the visit allowed discussions related to international and regional security and stability.

The report will be available once it has been tabled in the Senate.