Canadian senator, parliamentarians for Guyana visit

Last Updated on Friday, 10 November 2023, 14:36 by Denis Chabrol

As Canada continues to strengthen bilateral relations with Guyana, the High Commission of Canada and the National Assembly of Guyana on Friday announced that one Senator and three Members of Parliament from Canada will be visiting Guyana from November 13 – 18 as part of engagements through the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

“This visit will give Canadian delegates the opportunity to advance relations with the Parliament Office and members of parliament from Guyana and exchange views on common areas of interest, such as climate change, oil and gas opportunities, indigenous peoples and a paperless parliament,” the High Commission said in a statement. 

The team of Parliamentarians will include Alexandra Mendès, Assistant Deputy Speaker, Chair of the CPA Canadian Branch; Salma Ataullahjan, Senator, Canadian Branch Executive Committee Member; Rhéal Éloi Fortin, Canadian Branch Member and Robert Kitchen, Canadian Branch Executive Committee Member

The delegation will be involved in several high-level engagements, including meeting with the Honourable Prime Minister, Brigadier Mark Phillips, engagements with the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Manzoor Nadir and meetings with several parliamentarians including Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Aubrey Norton.

The Canadian Branch of the CPA has been actively working with Commonwealth partners in the Caribbean and globally to encourage “twinning” (partnerships) with territorial legislatures. The objective of twinning is to provide mutual capacity-building support and technical assistance and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices between Canadian and Guyanese parliamentarians. 

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was founded in 1911 and works to promote parliamentary democracy and good governance, through focus on parliamentary practice and procedure.