Visit of the Honourable Anthony Rota, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Italian Republic and Holy See
From June 26 to 30, 2023, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Honourable Anthony Rota, M.P., led a parliamentary delegation on a visit to the Italian Republic and the Holy See. The delegation was composed of Mr. Angelo Iacono, M.P.; Ms. Jenny Kwan, M.P.; Ms. Sylvie Bérubé, M.P.; and Ms. Anna Roberts, M.P. Accompanying the delegation were Ms. Chantal Piché Rota, Mr. Alexandre Mattard-Michaud, Chief of Staff of the Speaker of the House of Commons, and Ms. Vanessa Moss-Norbury, Secretary to the delegation.
In Rome, Italy, the delegation met with:
- His Excellency Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic of Italy;
- His Excellency Ignazio La Russa, President of the Senate of the Italian Republic;
- His Excellency Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Republic;
- The Honorable Antonio Tajani, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation;
- The Honourable Giulio Tremonti, President of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies, and members of the committee;
- Members of the Canada-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group; and
- Representatives from the Rome-Based Agencies to the United Nations.
The delegation was also honoured to take part in the following activities:
- A wreath laying ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Rome; and
- A Canada Day reception hosted by the Canadian Embassy to the Italian Republic.
At the Holy See, the delegation met with:
- Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Head of Relations with the States.
The delegation was also honoured to briefly meet with His Holiness Pope Francis and to take part in a reception in honour of Frank Leo, Archbishop of Toronto, hosted by the Canadian Embassy to the Holy See.
The purpose of the visit was to strengthen bilateral ties and forge links between parliaments and institutions. It also provided an opportunity to share Canadian values and dialogue with counterparts to better understand the shared values that unite us and the differences, while exploring different ways of fostering links between institutions and individuals. The delegates met with a wide variety of individuals and groups, including legislators, businesspeople and advocates.
The report will be available once it has been tabled in the House of Commons.