Report of Visit of the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the and a Parliamentary Delegation to May 16 to 21, 2008

The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate, and a delegation of Senators visited France from May 16 to 21, 2008. The delegation has the honour to present its Report

The official delegation, led by Speaker Kinsella, was composed of the following members: The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate Ms. Ann Kinsella The Honourable Gerald J. Comeau, Senator and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate The Honourable Serge Joyal, P.C., Senator The Honourable Jean-Claude Rivest, Senator The Honourable W. David Angus, Q.C., Senator The Honourable Pierre Claude Nolin, Senator The Honourable Lise Bacon, Senator and Chair of the Canada-France Interparliamentary Association Mr. Paul C. Bélisle, Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments Ms. Janelle Feldstein, Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the Senate Ms. Julie Pelletier, Secretary to the Delegation Context Bilateral relations between Canada and France have been diversifying and growing in importance for several years now. Canada is a partner of choice for France on key issues of foreign policy and good governance and in economic, trade and cultural matters. The partnership is enriched by cooperation agreements between government departments and by numerous governmental and parliamentary exchanges, in addition to the growing number of cooperation agreements between Canadian provinces, France and French regions. The year 2008 is a special one, because Canada and France are working in close cooperation on a number of events of interest to both, including the celebrations surrounding the 400th anniversary of the founding of City, the Canada-European Union Summit being held in Canada and chaired by France, and the Francophone Summit which was held in Quebec City. In addition to their similar views on international relations, France and Canada are partners in trade, investment, science and technology and cultural exchanges. France is the third-largest foreign investor in Canada, particularly in Quebec, and Alberta. It is also Canada's third-largest trading partner in Europe, and eighth-largest in the world. Objectives The purpose of the delegation's visit was to: Highlight the importance that Canada places on its relations with France as part of the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City;

Discuss topics of mutual interest with French parliamentarians, including best practices in governance, the seal hunt and the various communications and security policies developed;

Discuss foreign policy in relation to matters of international and bilateral interest;

Review exchanges between the two countries at the postsecondary level;

Commemorate the sacrifices made by Canadian troops in France in the two world wars;

Express Canada’s solidarity in response to the desecration of the graves of Muslim soldiers at Notre-Dame de Lorette National Memorial and Cemetery; and

Encourage ongoing parliamentary dialogue, in order to to promote bilateral parliamentary exchanges.

Meetings In , the delegation met with: His Excellency Christian Poncelet, Speaker of the Senate;

His Excellency Bernard Accoyer, Speaker of the National Assembly;

Mr. Roger Karoutchi, Secretary of State for Parliamentary Relations;

Mr. Marcel-Pierre Cléach, Senator for Sarthe and President of the France- Canada Senate Group;

Mr. Denis Detcheverry, Senator for Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon;

His Eminence André-Armand Cardinal Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, President of the Conference of Bishops;

Mr. Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director General of UNESCO;

Mr. Alain Delcamp, Secretary General of the Senate;

Mr. Robert Provansal, Secretary General of the Questure of the Senate; Ms. Louise Blais, Director of the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris; and

Mr. Kishore Singh, Ms. Liliana Simionesco and Ms. Zeynep Varoglu,

Program specialists in UNESCO's Education Sector. In Paris, the delegation took part in three roundtable discussions with the following themes: international education;

the role of the upper houses and methods for electing and appointing senators; and

fisheries and the seal hunt.

During the course of the visit, the delegation had an opportunity to tour: the Canadian National Vimy Memorial;

the Musée du Luxembourg; and

the Sorbonne.

At the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, the delegation met: Mr. Bernard Omiel, Mayor of Beaumont-Hamel.

In Arras, the delegation met: Mr. Jean-Marie Vanlerenberghe, Senator for Pas-de-Calais and Mayor of Arras;

Ms. Catherine Génisson, Member for Pas-de-Calais and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly;

Ms. Jacqueline Maquet, Member for Pas-de-Calais; and

Representatives of Monsignor Jean-Paul Jaeger, Bishop of Arras.

At the Notre-Dame de Lorette National Memorial and Cemetery in Ablain-St-Nazaire, the delegation met: Mr. Dominique Robillart, Mayor of Ablain-St-Nazaire;

Mr. François Malhanche, Deputy Prefect of the Prefecture of Arras; and

Mr. Michel Haute, President of the Association de la Garde d'honneur de l'Ossuaire.

In Honfleur, the delegation met: Mr. Raymond Destin, Senior Assistant to the Mayor of Honfleur; Ms. Danielle Ragel, Assistant to the Mayor of Honfleur; and

Ms. Martine Lemonnier, Assistant to the Mayor of Honfleur.

Official Luncheon with His Excellency Christian Poncelet, Speaker of the Senate His Excellency Christian Poncelet, Speaker of the Senate of the French Republic, gave a luncheon in honour of the Canadian delegation at le Petit Luxembourg, the Speaker's official residence. After the welcome and thanks, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella and his counterpart spoke of the importance of Canada-France relations and the deep friendship between the two countries. A number of subjects were addressed over the meal, including the various reforms instituted in the French Senate during the term of His Excellency Christian Poncelet. Speaker Kinsella proposed that an exhibit entitled Canada and France: Lasting Impressions be presented at the Library of the French Senate, to mark the lasting relationship between the two countries and the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. The purpose of this temporary project would be to illustrate three characteristics of relations between France and Canada as recorded in the collection of the Canadian Library of Parliament: (1) the beginnings; (2) international relations; and (3) cultural exchanges. In closing, both speakers confirmed their desire to study the feasibility of the project. Meeting with His Excellency Bernard Accoyer, Speaker of the National Assembly His Excellency Bernard Accoyer, Speaker of the National Assembly of the French Republic, received the Canadian delegation at the Hôtel de Lassay, the Speaker's official residence. He welcomed the delegation to France and spoke of the unique and active parliamentary ties between France and Canada, thanks largely to the work of the France-Canada Interparliamentary Association and its chair, Mr. Marc Laffineur, Member of the National Assembly. Mr. Accoyer also spoke about the mutual and historic friendship between the two countries and said he had been very moved by the visit to France by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, earlier in May. Speaker Kinsella said he was very pleased to lead a parliamentary delegation to France, the cradle of Canada. He explained that one of the purposes of the visit was to express the importance Canada places on its relationship with France during the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City by Samuel Champlain. Speaker Kinsella also thanked France for its decision to redeploy troops to Afghanistan as part of the NATO mission, proof of the genuine kinship between the two countries. He said he believed the conflict could not be resolved without greater commitment by parliamentarians from countries bordering on Afghanistan. He then asked whether greater cooperation between French ports and ports in Canada's Atlantic provinces would be possible. The conversation then shifted to the topic of international education. Speaker Kinsella noted his regret that few young were going abroad to study because of the high cost of these exchanges. He said he was convinced of the benefits of such experiences, which provide students with a more global vision, including in their academic disciplines. He hoped that exchanges between Canadian universities and French universities would grow, and raised the possibility of France and Canada cooperating on achieving this. The meeting ended with both Speakers reiterating the importance of contact between parliamentarians and the diplomatic role that they must play today, alongside the traditional diplomacy conducted by the executive branch. Speaker Kinsella invited his counterpart to come to Canada when he had an opportunity, to continue the dialogue and cooperation between the two parliaments. Meeting with Mr. Roger Karoutchi, Secretary of State for Parliamentary Relations The Secretary of State for Parliamentary Relations, Mr. Roger Karoutchi, welcomed the Canadian delegation. He opened the discussion by describing his own role in the French parliamentary system, the differences between the National Assembly and the Senate, and the sometimes delicate relationship between the two institutions. He addressed certain aspects of the Projet de loi constitutionnelle de modernisation des institutions de la Ve République, the bill to redefine the role and powers of France's parliamentary institutions. He pointed out that if the bill were passed, Parliament would have a greater role to play in, for example, foreign policy, since any extension of a mission of the French armed forces abroad for more than six months would have to be submitted to Parliament for approval. The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella thanked the minister for his welcome and spoke of the importance of Canada-France relations, and the reason for the official visit to France to mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City. He said he had been following the constitutional reform debate in France closely, and observed that a debate over Senate reform, and in particular the method of selecting senators, had long been a hot topic in Canada. He expressed thanks for the greater involvement of French troops in Afghanistan and reiterated that this partnership within NATO was particularly important to Canada, saying he believed that the countries around Afghanistan had to play a larger role in resolving the conflict. The French minister said that the Karzai government had to be supported, to prevent the Taliban from returning to power. In closing, Speaker Kinsella invited Mr. Karoutchi to come to Canada, and expressed his best wishes for the success of the French presidency of the European Union, to begin in July 2008. Meeting with Monsignor André-Armand Cardinal Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, President of the Conference of Bishops The delegates were warmly welcomed at the residence of Monsignor André-Armand Cardinal Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris and President of the Conference of Bishops. They took the opportunity to discuss a variety of subjects with this leading figure in the Roman Catholic Church in France, including his role in the integration of immigrants and the current difficult socioeconomic situation in France. Speaker Kinsella explained that one of the purposes of the visit was to take the opportunity offered by the 400th anniversary of Samuel Champlain's settlement in Quebec to visit the regions of France that are of particular significance to Canadians, hence the trip to Honfleur, the port from which the famous explorer sailed for New France in 1608. Speaker Kinsella also noted that the delegation had travelled to Vimy and Beaumont- Hamel to visit the graves of the Canadian soldiers who died in France during the First World War. He also described his visit to the city of Arras and noted that the delegation had visited the cathedral in that city, because there are eight paintings depicting scenes from the First World War in the Senate Chamber in , one of which, entitled "Arras, the Dead City", shows the ruins of the cathedral in Arras as they appeared in 1917. Meeting with Mr. Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director General of UNESCO The Canadian delegation was welcomed to UNESCO headquarters in Paris by Mr. Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director General of UNESCO. Mr. Barbosa explained the various roles played by UNESCO in relation to student mobility, recognition of foreign academic credits and human rights education. The Director General said that a World Conference on Higher Education would be held in Paris in July 2009, and that in the meantime the parties involved would be identifying the specific features of their respective educational systems so that strategies for achieving the various national objectives identified could be developed at the Conference. The delegates were told about the 1972 Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and the steps that must be taken for a site to be declared protected under the Convention. There are currently 800 sites classified as protected. Delegates also learned that some 15 Canadian sites, both cultural and natural, were currently being studied and thus might be included on UNESCO's world heritage list. The last Canadian site to have been given this protection was the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, in 2007. Toward the end of the meeting, the Honourable Senator Serge Joyal, PC, submitted the idea that sites associated with the great explorations of the 16th century, which were the foundation of a broad movement to expand knowledge, should be included on UNESCO's list. Meeting with Mr. Alain Delcamp, Secretary General of the Senate Mr. Alain Delcamp, Secretary General of the Senate, welcomed the Canadian delegation to France. He explained the Cabinet de départ ceremony that the Speaker of the Senate would be attending after the meeting, and what happened on a typical day in the Senate. Among other things, the delegates learned that the French Senate has a single sitting per day, beginning at 9:30 a.m., unlike the National Assembly, which divides its day into two segments. A discussion ensued about the range of communications tools that the Senate of France has developed to attract people, both French citizens and foreign visitors, to the Senate precinct. Mr. Delcamp explained that the Senate developed its communications policy in three phases. The first phase involved projecting the image of an open and welcoming institution. For example, meeting rooms were created with a capacity of between 120 and 150 people, available free of charge to senators who want to hold an event. Various publications were also developed, such as the Journal du Sénat and educational books to provide the public with an understanding of the Senate’s role. During the 1990s, when Senator René Monory was the Speaker, the Senate took steps to adapt to new technologies, this being the second phase of its communications policy. An Internet site was created so the Senate could deliver its message directly to the French public and so that senators could more easily stay in touch with the local communities they represent. The third phase was more ambitious, and entailed developing a cultural policy for the Senate involving major events, to have more direct contract with the people of France. Today, the Senate sponsors exhibitions at the Musée du Luxembourg and cultural programming is presented every year at the Jardin du Luxembourg Park. The Secretary General explained that, while this park is a private space, maintained by the Senate, it is open to the public and various kinds of performances and events can be organized there. Between 300,000 and 400,000 people enjoy the park every year. One of the major objectives is to ensure that visitors to the site make the connection between the garden and the Senate. The meeting concluded with the delegates' query as to whether the sittings of the French Senate were televised. Mr. Delcamp replied that there had been a ten-year debate on the issue of whether the sittings of the National Assembly and the Senate should be televised. On the one hand, the National Assembly wanted everything to be televised, while the Senate preferred to televise selected proceedings only. Ultimately, Public Sénat was created, and air time divided between the two chambers. Today, the network’s mandate has changed, and it presents political information in general. For example, it rebroadcasts programming about election campaigns and major political meetings. The sittings of both legislative chambers are always rebroadcast, but this does not account for a majority of the programming. Meeting with Mr. Robert Provansal, Secretary General of the Questure The Secretary General of the Questure, Mr. Robert Provensal, said he was very pleased to meet with the Canadians. The members of the delegation began by explaining that they wanted to know whether September 11, 2001 had had an impact on the security measures applied within and around the French Senate’s precinct. The Secretary General remarked that contrary to what the Canadian delegates might have assumed, the policies had changed very little. He explained that there is a Senate policy for monitoring vehicles, persons, mail and the area around the Senate precinct, and that the French armed forces assign a Republican Guard detachment to the Senate to provide security for the Speaker. Civilian personnel are also on site and monitor access to the Senate and security at the Jardin du Luxembourg. For example, with respect to access control, parliamentarians and staff have to go through specific doors, which can be locked if necessary. For the general public, visitors' identities are recorded, they are required to go through walk-through scanners, and their bags are searched. With respect to the precinct, the Senate is trying to keep the Jardin du Luxembourg open for as long as possible and recently made special arrangements to bolster security there. When the chamber is not in session, the same surveillance measures are in place. It was clear to the Canadian parliamentarians that reconciling public access to the parliamentary precinct with the security arrangements that are essential for a place where important French government actors are in attendance is a delicate issue, of serious concern for French parliamentarians. Meeting with Ms. Louise Blais, Director of the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris The delegation was welcomed to the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris by Ms. Louise Blais, the Director, who agreed that the location of the Centre, which opened in 1970, was ideal because of its proximity to the National Assembly and Senate. Canada has owned the building since 1967 Details relating to the Centre's funding and budgetary constraints were provided and Ms. Blais explained her mandate to the delegation: essentially to publicize Canadian culture in France in all its aspects, and to offer a range of services, including a reference library, a reception and orientation service for Canadian students and artists, and access to facilities for meetings and press conferences. The delegates were also given a brief overview of spring and summer 2008 programming, which offers exhibits, concerts, recitals and film screenings. Ms. Blais also explained that the Centre has resources to encourage French artists to visit Canada. In addition, Ms. Blais said that the Centre could play an important role in promoting Canadian interests with the presidency of the European Union falling to France. The Canadian senators wanted to know what proportion of the cultural activities promoted by the Centre were in English. The Director replied that English activities accounted for about 40 percent of her time, and in addition 45 percent of the books in the library were in English. The Director concluded by saying, in reply to a question from the Speaker, that the Centre shares space with the National Film Board and collaborates regularly with it. Luncheon with Mr. Jean-Marie Vanlerenberghe, Senator for Pas-de-Calais and Mayor of Arras Mayor Jean-Marie Vanlerenberghe received the Canadian delegation at the mayoral offices in Arras. Ms. Catherine Génisson, member of the National Assembly for Pas-de- Calais and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, and Ms. Jacqueline Maquet, member of the National Assembly for Pas-de-Calais, were also present. Speaker Kinsella spoke warmly about the visit that morning to the Beaumont-Hamel cemetery and talked about the visit to the Vimy Memorial scheduled for the afternoon. He said that wreaths had been laid and would be laid on both occasions. He also stressed how much he had enjoyed the visit to the cathedral in Arras, which was of particular significance to the Canadian senators because there are eight paintings in the Senate precinct in Ottawa depicting scenes from the First World War, and one in particular, by James Kerr-Lawson, entitled "Arras, the Dead City", showing the ruins of the cathedral in 1917. When the meeting ended, Speaker Kinsella thanked the Mayor for his constant efforts to solidify friendly relations between France and Canada. He also stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy, a political force that can be used to achieve progress in many areas. Luncheon with Mr. Raymond Destin, Senior Assistant to the Mayor of Honfleur Speaker Kinsella and his delegation were greeted in Honfleur by the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Raymond Destin, Ms. Danielle Ragel and Ms. Martine Lemonnier. His Excellency Philippe Guelluy, former French Ambassador to Canada, also joined the group for the luncheon given by the Mayor of Honfleur. The first topic of discussion was the historic ties between France and Canada. The senators also had an opportunity to see the extent of the friendship between the two countries when they visited an exhibit on the creation of a joint France-Canada postage stamp produced specially to celebrate Quebec City’s 400th anniversary. They then took a guided tour of the city, which included sites commemorating Champlain’s departure from the port of Honfleur in 1608. Meeting with Mr. Kishore Singh, Ms. Liliana Simionesco and Ms. Zeynep Varoglu, Program Specialists in UNESCO's Education Sector Further to the meeting with Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, the delegation had an opportunity to discuss in greater depth, with specialists in the organization's education sector, the unique role played by UNESCO in relation to education at the global level, and also its efforts to ensure that postsecondary education contributes to sustainable development in its member countries. UNESCO’s role in relation to student mobility, human rights education and recognition of foreign academic credits was also discussed. On the last point, the specialists explained that there are six regional conventions dealing with recognition of qualifications (Africa, Latin America, Asia and Pacific, Arab States, the Caribbean, and two European conventions) and an inter-regional convention (the Mediterranean convention). Roundtable on International Education At the roundtable on international education, the delegation members had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Marc Roland, Deputy Director of the European and international relations and cooperation branch (DREIC) in the Department of National Education, Postsecondary Education and Research; Mr. Franck Le Pezennec, who is in charge of the language assistants and language training program in the Foreign Languages department at the Centre international des études pédagogiques (CIEP); Ms. Hélène Harter, Director of the Canadian Studies Centre and Deputy director of the North American History Centre at the Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne; Ms. Véronique Tapie, who works in the Erasmus program at the Agence Europe-Éducation- Formation France; and Ms. Hilligje Van’t Land, Senior Program Officer at the International Association of Universities (IAU) at UNESCO House. To open the discussion, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella expressed his concern about the statistics showing that only three percent of Canadian students go abroad to study during their first five years of postsecondary education. He also referred to figures showing that, in the last few years, many more French students have chosen to study in Canada than Canadians have decided to study in France. A number of factors were suggested to explain the disproportionate numbers, such as the high cost of studying overseas and the fact that in Canada a session abroad is not mandatory, whereas for young Europeans studying abroad is a prerequisite for obtaining their diploma. The guests then discussed the status of bilateral academic relations and measures that could be taken to facilitate the development of such relationships. A number of French participants suggested that Canadian cooperation with French universities should be re- energized, because those universities are sought after by numerous other countries and might end up neglecting the special relationship they already have with Canadian universities. The guests also recognized the usefulness of federal government programs in promoting the Canadian studies centres in France and expressed concerns about the continuation of those programs. In closing, the Speaker of the Senate provided the participants with the Senate Report on Post-Secondary Education in Canada (1997), produced by the Special Senate Committee on Post-Secondary Education. Roundtable on the Role of the Upper House and Methods of Electing and Appointing Senators The Canadian delegation took part in a roundtable chaired by Marcel-Pierre Cléach, Senator for Sarthe and Chair of the Senate France-Canada Friendship Committee. Also present were Senator Denis Detcheverry and Mr. Jean-Pierre Duprat, professor of law at the Université Montesquieu Bordeaux IV. During the meeting, the members of the delegation enjoyed an instructive dialogue with the various guests regarding France’s current constitutional reform plan, one purpose of which is to give greater weight to Parliament in the balance among the institutions. The debate regarding reform of the way voting is held in France was also discussed, and everyone agreed that the existing system of representation would benefit fro m modernization, but only if the Senate did not lose its own identity. The Canadian senators referred to the debate taking place in Canada over the role and method of selecting senators, and the role to be played by an upper house in democratic societies today. A consensus emerged among the participants that the Canadian and French upper chambers had to continue to play a complementary role in relation to the lower chambers, and not become their duplicate. Roundtable on Fisheries Delegation members took part in a roundtable on fisheries chaired by Mr. Denis Detcheverry, Senator for Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. Also present were Mr. Marcel-Pierre Cléach, Senator for Sarthe, Mr. Gérard Bailly, Senator and Chair of the Senate Study Group on Farming, Mr. Henri de Richemont, Senator and Chair of the Study Group on the Sea, and Mr. Thierry Coste, Secretary General of the Noé Committee. The discussions dealt mainly with the seal hunt. The comments made and opinions expressed during the discussion allowed for a broad overview to be given of the ins and outs of the issue, which affects both the Canadian parliamentarians and the French parliamentarians who attended the working meeting. For example, Senator Detcheverry explained that cutting back the seal hunt would mean that seals would proliferate, with the consequent decline in fish stocks, and this would have a direct impact on the economy of St-Pierre and Miquelon. At the end of the meeting, everyone reiterated that a common strategy was needed to counteract negative media campaigns, and in particular to stand up for Canadian interests, and also that more publicity had to be given to the scientific research that shows that 95 percent of seals are killed in compliance with international standards. Visit to the Musée du Luxembourg The delegation had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the Musée du Luxembourg, where the Senate was presenting the exhibit Vlaminck, un instinct de fauve, which brought together works painted by Maurice de Vlaminck between 1900 and 1915. The delegates learned that management of programming at the Musée du Luxembourg had been assigned to the Senate in 2000, when His Excellency Christian Poncelet was Speaker of the Senate. Visit to the Sorbonne The delegation had the opportunity to visit the campus of the Sorbonne, tour its works of art and also to meet with Mr. Pierre Gregory, Vice-Chancellor of the Universités de Paris, and mark the close ties between Canada and the Université de Paris. The delegates also noted that Canada has a house in the heart of the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris that offers a range of services for Canadian students studying in Paris. Visit to the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial The delegation was welcomed to the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial by Mr. Bernard Omiel, Mayor of Beaumont-Hamel. They were given a guided tour by Canadian students, who are hired every summer to provide interpretation services at the site. The delegates spent a moment of silent reflection at the Monument and laid a wreath in honour of the Newfoundland soldiers who fought and died in the region during the First World War. Visit to the Canadian National Vimy Memorial The delegation was given a guided tour of the Vimy Ridge National Historic Site of Canada by young Canadians who are hired every year to provide interpretation services at the site. The guide explained that the monument, designed by Canadian architect and sculptor Walter Seymour Allward, was constructed in honour of the Canadians who liberated Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917. However, the monument is also a tribute to all 66,000 Canadian soldiers who perished in France in the First World War, and to the 11,285 who lie in unknown graves. The senators had the opportunity for a moment of reflection at the Monument and to lay a wreath in honour of the Canadian soldiers who sacrificed their lives for freedom. At the end of the day the Canadian delegates were invited to a reception organized in their honour so they could meet the young Canadian guides who are employed to work at the Vimy and Beaumont-Hamel sites for four months during the summer. Visit to the Notre-Dame de Lorette National Memorial and Cemetery The Senate delegation was received at the Notre-Dame de Lorette National Memorial and Cemetery by Mr. Dominique Robillart, Mayor of Ablain-St Nazaire, and Mr. François Malhanche, Deputy Prefect of the Arras prefecture. The delegation paused for a moment of silent reflection in honour of the 40,000 soldiers buried in the military cemetery. The delegation also saluted the members of the Association des gardes d’honneur who had gathered for the occasion, with their president, Mr. Michel Haute. The association was created in 1927 and today it has over 3,000 members, all volunteers, who take turns standing guard at the memorial site. The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella also expressed his regret and solidarity in response to the desecration of the headstones of North African Muslim soldiers in this military cemetery, which occurred in April 2008. Acknowledgments The delegation would like to thank His Excellency Christian Poncelet for his warm welcome and gracious hospitality. It also thanks all of the employees of the Embassy of Canada in France and the Permanent Delegation of Canada to UNESCO. Their efforts made the visit a great success. It would like to express special thanks to Ms. Sandelle Scrimshaw, Chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of Canada in France, and Mr. Gi lbert Laurin, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Canada to UNESCO. The delegation also wishes to acknowledge the contribution by the staff of the Embassy of Canada in France: Mr. Richard Têtu, Minister-Counsellor (Political Affairs) at the Embassy of Canada in Paris, Mr. Marc Berthiaume, Political and Parliamentary Relations Officer, and Mr. Jean-François Renaud, Political Affairs Officer. The delegation thanks Ms. Claudette Dion, Assistant to the Minister-Counsellor, and Ms. Dominique Levasseur, Senior Program Officer with the delegation of Canada to UNESCO. The delegation would also like to acknowledge the work done by Ms. Arlene King, Director at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, and Ms. Nathalie Bédard, Director at the Canadian Vimy Memorial, to give the delegation an opportunity to honour the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers in the First World War. The members of the delegation left France confident that they had made a contribution to strengthening the mutually beneficial parliamentary relations between Canada and France in this year, commemorating the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s arrival in Nouvelle France.

Respectfully submitted, Noël A. Kinsella Speaker of the Senate

Travel Costs

Visit of the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate, and a parliamentary delegation to France.

TRAVEL $58,360.00

ACCOMMODATION $18,621.10

PER DIEMS $5,617.85

PROTOCOL $4,526.76

TOTAL $87,125.71