Visit to Canada of His Excellency Milorad Živković, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a Parliamentary Delegation

From May 28 to June 1, 2012, His Excellency Milorad Živković, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, led a parliamentary delegation to Ottawa and Toronto at the invitation of the Honourable Andrew Scheer, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons. The delegation was composed of Mr. Denis Bećirović, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Martin Raguž, Member of the House of Peoples, Mr. Drago Kalabić, Member of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Parliamentary Friendship Group Bosnia and Herzegovina-Canada. The delegation was accompanied by Mrs. Mirsada Bukarić–Kovačević, Head of the Sector for International Relations and Protocol, and Mrs. Amila Žujo, Interpreter, Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Her Excellency Biljana Gutić-Bjelica, Ambassador to Canada of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Mr. Mithat Pašić, Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy to Canada of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The delegates had the opportunity to attend various meetings in Ottawa and Toronto.

In Ottawa, the delegation met with:

• The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate;
• The Honourable Andrew Scheer, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons;
• The Honourable Donald Oliver, Senator and President of the Canadian Group of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU);
• Members of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU);
• Mr. Robert Goguen, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice;
• Mr. Dave MacKenzie, M.P., Chair of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights;
• Mr. Gerald Keddy, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and for the Atlantic Gateway;
• Members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development;
• Mr. Chris Alexander, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence;
• Members of the Standing Committee on National Defence; and
• Mr. Deepak Obhrai, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In Toronto, the delegation toured the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and met with the Speaker, the Honourable Dave Levac, MPP. They met with Mr. Rob Ford, Mayor of the City of Toronto and Mr. Doug Holyday, Deputy Mayor, as well as with Mr. Dean Allison, M.P., Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. During a planned event organized by the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Canada, they also had the opportunity to discuss with members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina community.

The program included cultural visits to the Canadian Museum of Civilizations, the CN Tower, the Art Gallery of Ontario and a tour of Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. The visit to Canada provided an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as an opportunity to meet with various Canadian officials. A variety of subjects were discussed, including trade, international cooperation, security, immigration, parliamentary cooperation, and investment opportunities.