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Report Visit of the Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Kuwait and Sweden

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Report Visit of the Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Kuwait and Sweden Report Visit of the Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, Kuwait and Sweden, March 13 to 19, 2011 At the invitation of His Excellency Jassem Mohammed Abdulmuhsen Al-Kharafi, Speaker of the Majles Al-Ommah (National Assembly of Kuwait), and the Honourable Per Westerberg, Speaker of the Riksdag (Swedish parliament), the Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., and Speaker of the House of Commons, led a parliamentary delegation on an official visit to Kuwait and Sweden from March 13 to 19, 2011. The delegation has the honour to present its Report The Canadian delegation was comprised of the following members: The Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons; Mrs. Raymonde Folco, M.P.; Mr. Kevin Sorenson, M.P.; Mr. Pierre Poilievre, M.P.; Mrs. Judy Foote, M.P.; Ms. Heather Bradley, Director of Communications, Speaker’s Office; and Ms. Gaëtane Lemay, Secretary to the Delegation. Context – Kuwait Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. Of its population of 3.5 million, 69% are foreign residents. The unicameral National Assembly is made up of 50 members elected every four years and 15 ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The country depends on oil, which accounts for about 43% of its GDP, 95% of its export earnings and 80% of government revenues. Canada’s presence is increasingly being felt in architecture and engineering, the petroleum industry, education, health care and a growing number of retail outlets. About 3,500 Canadian citizens live in Kuwait, working mostly in highly paid occupations. Canada and Kuwait established diplomatic relations in 1965 and maintain good, although limited, bilateral relations. Canada’s participation in the liberation of Kuwait in 1990-1991 strengthened the friendship between both countries. The purpose of this visit was to promote the establishment of a permanent parliamentary dialogue and future parliamentary exchanges. The delegation was particularly interested in the role of women in democracy. The visit provided the opportunity to discuss foreign policy on issues of international and mutual interest, and subjects of common interest arising from our membership in multilateral organizations. Meetings During its visit to Kuwait, the delegation met with: His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, Crown Prince of Kuwait; His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait; His Excellency Jassem M. Al-Kharafi, Speaker of the Majles Al-Ommah; His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Moudhi Al-Humoud, Minister of Education; Dr. Maasouma Saleh Al-Mubarak, M.P., and Dr. Salwa Abdullah Al Jassar, M.P., respectively Chair and Vice Chair of the Kuwait-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group, along with members of the Group; Representatives of civil society; and Canadian businesspeople. Meeting with the Crown Prince of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah The Crown Prince warmly welcomed Speaker Milliken and the delegation, acknowledging Canada’s role in liberating Kuwait during the Gulf War and expressing his people’s gratitude. His Highness mentioned with satisfaction that there are no irritants between his country and Canada, and he considers the relationship between both countries to be strong. As proof, His Highness cited the recent official visit of Canada’s Governor General in January 2011, his very first foreign visit since his installation. His Highness was pleased that the visit program included meetings with ministers and members of Parliament. In closing, the Crown Prince and Speaker Milliken expressed their hope that Canada’s and Kuwait’s parliaments would continue to foster relations and increase exchanges. Meeting with the Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah The meeting with the Prime Minister focused mainly on the economic situation in Canada and Kuwait, where comparisons were drawn. Topics included fluctuations in the price of a barrel of oil and plans to develop natural gas in Kuwait. The very recent nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima, Japan, was also the subject of discussion. The head of the Kuwaiti government answered questions from the delegates about his country’s relations with its key neighbours, particularly Iraq and Iran. His Highness said that his country promotes three values: peace, democracy and freedom, and he hoped to see these spread across the region, particularly through face-to-face meetings. In his view, it is up to the West to push for peace talks to resolve current problematic situations. Meeting with His Excellency Jassem M. Al-Kharafi, Speaker of the Majles Al- Ommah (National Assembly) The meeting attendees noted the key differences between the Canadian and Kuwaiti parliaments. Speaker Al-Kharafi explained the designation of the Emir, the composition of the National Assembly, the appointment of the Prime Minister by the Emir, the circumstances surrounding non-cooperation votes, voting by the Speaker, and limits to spending authority when a budget has not been passed. His Excellency hoped to see greater bilateral relations between the parliaments of Kuwait and Canada. Speaker Al-Kharafi also discussed the scope and strength of the current relations between our two countries and his desire to see them increase. He pointed out that Canadians benefit from a number of business opportunities, particularly in health care and education. In closing, he said that his country would be very open to negotiating a free-trade agreement with Canada. During the press conference immediately following the meeting, Speaker Al-Kharafi said that his country would like to see more exchanges with Canada, a country he holds in high regard. He added that he hoped Canada’s and Kuwait’s parliaments would take a coordinated approach in international forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He acknowledged that the upheaval sweeping the region is the result of discontent with the decades-old economic and political situation. He hoped that the changes needed to address the aspirations of people experiencing hardship can be brought about without causing chaos, insecurity or instability. Speaker Milliken spoke about the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in improving the already good relations between the countries and its often positive influence on their respective governments. He added that visits such as this one can lead to future discussions to promote the desired investments. He indicated that he plans to encourage businesspeople and other Canadian leaders to consider the opportunities available in Kuwait. Given the turmoil in the region, it is all the more important for the parliaments to work together at bringing added stability and providing assistance to those countries that need it to develop an effective system of governance able to address the needs of their people. Being able to count on an ally such as Kuwait could, in his view, facilitate the assistance that Canada wishes to provide to the region. Meeting with Sheikh Mohammed Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister Al-Sabah began by expressing the Kuwaiti people’s lasting gratitude toward Canada for its role in the Gulf War. Attendees discussed the troubling situation in certain countries in the region, particularly Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain. The Minister said that the Gulf states promote stability; consequently, they recently approved a “Marshall”-type assistance plan for Bahrain and Oman, providing $20 billion over 10 years, in the hopes that this would calm the discontent behind the social problems that have begun to appear. When asked about his country’s relationship with Iran, the Minister said that it could play a certain role between Iraq and Iran insofar as the situation between the two countries poses a threat to Kuwait’s national security. Meeting with Dr. Moudhi Al-Humoud, Minister of Education In welcoming the delegation, Minister Al-Humoud said that she was somewhat familiar with Canada’s education system. Her country wishes to increase the number of students benefiting from its generous bursary program and being sent to Canada each year. She added that Kuwait is considering creating a cultural attaché position in Canada to better serve and oversee Kuwaiti students. Dr. Al-Humoud then explained that her country recently began establishing private colleges and universities. Ottawa’s Algonquin College just received approval to open a campus in Kuwait. She said that over 500 Canadian teachers were working in dozens of private schools in Kuwait. Meetings with the Kuwait-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group During informal meetings with MPs Maasouma Saleh Al-Mubarak and Salwa Abdullah Al Jassar, respectively the Chair and Vice Chair of the Kuwait-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group, and with Group members, participants discussed the Group’s visit to Canada in September 2010, and possible avenues for following up on the exchanges held. Meeting with the Women’s Cultural and Social Society The delegation met with Shaikha Al-Nusf and Lulwa al Mullah, respectively the Chair and Secretary-General of the Women’s Cultural and Social Society, and members of this feminist group whose main role is to educate women about their rights and about achieving true equality as recognized in Kuwait’s Constitution. It was not until 2005 that Kuwaiti women gained the right to vote and to run in parliamentary elections. The country’s first four female MPs were elected in 2009. The WCSS is active on several fronts, such as health, education, social services and the legal system. The organization was behind a bill, which was eventually defeated, calling for 30 percent of senior positions to be reserved for women. A lively discussion took place between the women in attendance and the Canadian delegation. Meeting with officials responsible for the McGill University Health Centre project at the Kuwait Chest Diseases Hospital Speaker Milliken opened the cardiovascular health research project of the McGill University Health Centre at the Kuwait Chest Diseases Hospital.
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