Visit to Canada of His Excellency Dr. Jussi Halla-aho, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland, and a Parliamentary Delegation

 

From October 31 to November 1, 2024, the Honourable Dr. Jussi Halla-aho, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland, led a parliamentary delegation to Ottawa at the invitation of the Honourable Greg Fergus, P.C., M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons. The delegation consisted of Ms. Sara Seppänen, Member of Parliament, Mr. Jani Kokko, Member of Parliament. Accompanying the delegation were Mr. Antti Pelttari, Secretary General, Ms. Laura Kamras, Head of the International Department and Mr. Sampo Saarinen, Adviser to the Speaker, International Affairs.

Ms. Sari Uusi-Rauva, Chargée d’affaires, ad interim also accompanied the delegation during their stay.

In Ottawa, the delegation met with:

• The Honourable Greg Fergus, P.C., M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons;
• The Honourable Peter M. Boehm, Senator, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade;
• The Honourable Rebecca Patterson, Senator, Member of the Standing Senate National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs Committee;
• The Honourable Robert Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
• Ms. Julie Dzerowicz, M.P., Chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association;
• Members of the Standing Committee on National Defence;
• Members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development;
• Ms. Stefanie Beck, Deputy Minister, Department of National Defence; and
• Mr. Scott Millar, Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy), Department of National Defence.

The delegation had an opportunity to lay a wreath at the National War Memorial which was followed by a tour of the memorial itself. The visiting delegation also visited the Canadian War Museum and participated in a roundtable discussion with researchers on the theme of Trends and Developments in Canadian Defence and Security.

The objective of Speaker Halla-aho’s visit to Ottawa was to reinforce parliamentary relations, exchange views and discuss a range of geopolitical issues, including bilateral relations between Finland and Canada, NATO and security policy. During the meetings, participants highlighted the similarities between our common values, particularly at the international level, and the importance of parliamentary diplomacy.