Report Visit of the Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P. Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, to Mongolia October 9-15, 2006
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Report Visit of the Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P. Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, to Mongolia October 9-15, 2006 The Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P. Speaker of the House of Commons At the invitation of Chairman of the State Great Hural, Tsendiin Nyamdorj, the Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P. and Speaker of the House of Commons, led a parliamentary delegation on an official visit to Mongolia from October 9 to 15, 2006. Report The official delegation was composed of the following persons: The Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P. Speaker of the House of Commons; Mr. Jim Abbott, M.P.; The Honourable Larry Bagnell, P.C., M.P.; Patrick Kennedy, Chief of Staff of the Speaker; Mr. Tõnu Onu, Secretary to the delegation. Context In 2006, Mongolia is celebrating 800 years of statehood, since it was in 1206 that Genghis Khan united the Mongolian tribes and founded a unified Mongolian state. Canada and Mongolia are similar in terms of climate, geography and vast mineral resources. In 1991, Mongolia became the only formerly communist country in Asia to make a peaceful transition to a pluralistic democracy. While Canada has one major power as a neighbour, Mongolia finds itself surrounded by two major powers, Russia and China. There are currently 25 Canadian mining companies operating in Mongolia making Canada the largest investor in the resources sector in Mongolia and the second largest investor in Mongolia as a whole after China. While Mongolia has an Embassy in Ottawa and a number of honorary consuls in Canadian cities, Canada does not have an Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Given the amount of Canadian investment, particularly in the resource sector, there is a great desire on the part of Mongolia and of Canadian business interests to have Canada open an embassy in Mongolia. At the present time, the Canadian Embassy in Beijing is responsible for Canada’s relations with Mongolia. The former Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable Gildas Molgat, was the first Canadian parliamentarian to visit Mongolia in 1997, and former Speaker Hays of the Senate led a delegation to Mongolia in 2003. Objectives: To promote and develop parliamentary and diplomatic relations between Canada and Mongolia and To discuss political and economic issues of common interest to Canada and Mongolia. Meetings En route to Mongolia, the delegation passed through Beijing, China and had the opportunity to meet with His Excellency Xu Jialu, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China. In Mongolia, the delegation met with: His Excellency Tsendiin Nyamdorj, Chairman of the State Great Hural of Mongolia; His Excellency Nambaryn Enkhbayar, President of Mongolia; The Mongolia-Canada Parliamentary Group; Ms. Sanjaasuren Oyun, Member of the State Great Hural and Head of the Civil Will-Republic Party; His Excellency Mr. Miyeegombyn Enkhbold, Prime Minister of Mongolia; Members of the North American Mongolia Business Council; Members of the Democratic Party and other Opposition members of the State Great Hural; Members of the Canada-Mongolia Friendship Society. In addition to the meetings, the delegation was invited to attend a session of the State Great Hural where they were recognized by the Chairman. The delegation visited the Mongolian National University where Speaker Milliken gave an address on Canadian parliamentary democracy. At the University, the delegation also participated in Visual Voices: A Canada-Mongolia Film Forum on Tradition, Culture and Modernity. The Mongolian hosts also organized a number of visits to cultural and other sites which included a kindergarten supported by the Canada Fund, the Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum, the Gandan Tegchinlen Monastery and the Gobi Cashmere Company. Finally, Mr. Gavaa Batkhuu, Vice-Chair of the Canada Mongolia Parliamentary Group hosted the delegation on a visit to his horse ranch in the province of Bulgan. His Excellency Xu Jialu, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Since the delegation’s travel to Mongolia required a change of airplanes in Beijing, Vice-Chairman Xu invited the Speaker and the delegation to a meeting and dinner. The Vice-Chairman welcomed the delegation to the Great Hall of the People and underlined the importance of parliamentary exchanges in international relations. More specifically, he noted that 2006 marked the 36th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Canada. He emphasized that the visit would improve understanding between the two countries. He added that China’s strategy was to pursue exchanges with all countries, particularly those in the West since, in his opinion, the latter had less understanding of China than China did of them. Speaker Milliken thanked the Vice-Chairman for the opportunity to discuss parliamentary relations and took the opportunity to invite the Chairman of the National People’s Congress to visit Canada. His Excellency Tsendiin Nyamdorj, Chairman of the State Great Hural of Mongolia The Chairman of the State Great Hural welcomed Speaker Milliken and the delegation to Mongolia and emphasized the importance of exchanges between Canada and Mongolia and their two parliaments. He noted that Canada was the second largest investor in Mongolia and expressed his desire to see further parliamentary co-operation between the two countries. Speaker Milliken thanked the Chairman for the invitation to visit and extended an invitation to the Chairman to visit Canada. The Speaker outlined the purpose and content of the Parliamentary Officers Study Program and encouraged the Chairman to consider delegating officials from Mongolia’s Parliament to apply to the Program. The Speaker then raised the issue of the concern among investors caused by the Windfall Tax Law and the Minerals Law passed earlier in the year in Mongolia. He expressed understanding of Mongolia’s situation, but also emphasized the need to guarantee a stable and certain environment for investors. His Excellency Nambaryn Enkhbayar, President of Mongolia President Enkhbayar welcomed the delegation and spoke of the importance of the visit and of relations with Canada. He stated that Mongolia welcomes foreign investment and in reference to the Minerals Law, emphasized the need for balance between the interests of the population and those of mining companies. In reference to the international political situation in Asia, more specifically North Korea’s nuclear tests, the President explained that Mongolia has declared itself a nuclear free zone and aims to be a responsible partner in international affairs. Speaker Milliken congratulated the President on Mongolia’s 800th anniversary, noting how impressive this was for Canada, given its much shorter history. He expressed Canada’s interest in improving relations with Mongolia and the intention of following Mongolia’s development, given the similarities between the two countries. The Speaker explained Canada’s perspectives on the laws affecting mining companies and the need for clear rules respecting investment, particularly considering Mongolia’s great resource potential. Meeting with the Mongolia-Canada Parliamentary Group Mr. Avdai, Chairman of the Mongolia-Canada Parliamentary Group welcomed the delegation. He explained that the group had 24 members and was active in organizing meetings with Canadian companies. With respect to specific issues, the Group wished to see the process for obtaining visas to Canada simplified and to have a Canadian Embassy established in Ulaanbaatar. The Group also explained that Mongolia would like to obtain assistance from the Canadian International Development Agency to train agricultural specialists and to receive a variety of Canadian grain that grows in dry conditions, since the climate of Mongolia is becoming drier. The Group also expressed an interest in Canada’s Parliament and how it works. Speaker Milliken conveyed greetings to the Group from the Honourable Joseph Day, Chairman of the Canada-Mongolia Parliamentary Friendship Group and reiterated the invitation to the Chairman of the State Great Hural to visit Canada. The delegation explained that with respect to the visa process, the Canadian Embassy in Beijing has facilitated the process and made information available in Mongolian. The delegation also explained Canada’s experience with laws applicable to mining companies and the need for certainty and clarity in such laws. Meeting with Ms. Sanjaasuren Oyun, Member of the State Great Hural and Head of the Civil Will-Republic Party Ms. Oyun is the founder of the Zorig Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of democracy. She created the foundation after the assassination of her brother Zorig who was considered a likely candidate for the position of Prime Minister. Ms. Oyun explained that her party promotes transparency and good government, and was the first to introduce quotas for women candidates and to disclose the assets of its members. She has worked on anti-corruption legislation and legislation requiring political parties to disclose sources of funding and to limit spending during elections. At present there are only five female members of parliament, but at the next election, 50 % of candidates of parties must be women. Ms. Oyun expressed her happiness with increased relations between Canada and Mongolia and with Canadian investment in Mongolia. She was of the opinion that the recent mining legislation was motivated more by political than economic reasons. Another area