From January 19th to the 26th,
2013, a Canadian delegation composed of senators and MPs from both government
and opposition parties took part in a bilateral visit to Guatemala City,
Guatemala, and San Salvador, El Salvador.
The goals of this bilateral visit
included strengthening the parliamentary ties between Canada, and Guatemala and
El Salvador; promoting ParlAmericas as a liaison between the Parliaments of the
Americas; and furthering hemispheric dialogue concerning issues of mutual
importance, such as trade and investment opportunities, human rights, and
social and economic conditions.
During its visit to Guatemala City, the
Canadian Parliament’s delegation (Mr. Earl Dreeshen, member from Red Deer and
head of the delegation; Senator Jim Munson (Ontario); Mr. François Pilon, member
from Laval--Les Îles; Mr. Scott Simms, member from Bonavista--Gander--Grand
Falls--Windsor; and Mr. Bernard Trottier, member from Etobicoke--Lakeshore)
concluded successful meetings with Guatemalan parliamentarians, the
Canadian-Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce, representatives of the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency, and a broad spectrum of non-governmental organizations.
These meetings touched on investment opportunities in Guatemala; the state of
domestic democratic institutions; measures being taken to increase citizen
security and combat narcotic trafficking; and projects being undertaken to
improve the social conditions of citizens, including education, malnutrition
and food safety.
These important topics were again front
and centre during the delegation’s visit to San Salvador, where meetings were
concluded with the Speaker of El Salvador’s legislature, members of the
legislature, academics and experts, and the Canadian-El Salvadorian Chamber of
Commerce. The delegation was invited to witness sittings of both the Guatemalan
and El Salvadorian legislatures, and was recognized in the gallery in both
countries by the Speaker of each legislature.
The delegation also had the opportunity
to witness local commitment and community engagement during a visit to a centre
for at risk youth and women in Soyapango, a project supported through Canada’s
Fund for Local Initiatives.
A highlight of the visit to San
Salvador was a site visit led by El Salvador’s First Lady and Secretary of
Social Inclusion and Citizenship, Dr. Vanda Pignato, of a project called Ciudad
Mujer, a centre which promotes the prevention of violence against women and
is a recipient of Canadian funding.
The bilateral visit served as an
excellent opportunity for the Canadian delegation to learn and share best
practices with front-line workers, industry leaders and experts in these
countries, about issues which affect the entire hemisphere, such as challenges
and opportunities in the mining industry, violence against women and children,
and narcotic trafficking and armed violence.
From left to right: Mr. Scott
Simms-M.P.; His Excellency Mr. Pierre Giroux; Canadian Ambassador in San
Salvador; Mr. Roberto Samayoa, Director of CECI; Dr. Vanda Pignato, First Lady
and Secretary of Social Inclusion and Citizenship of El Salvador; Mr. François
Pilon-M.P.; Mr. Bernard Trottier-M.P.; Mr. Earl Dreeshen-M.P.; The Honourable
Jim Munson, Senator and a participant of the Ciudad Mujer Project.
