President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of April 2 with a delegation of lawmakers from Canada's parliament. The president extended to the visitors a welcome to Taiwan on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, and expressed hope that this visit would be fruitful. He also called for continued work to expand interaction and cooperative relations in a variety of areas.
In remarks, the president noted that the delegation consisted of seven members of parliament, including both senior and junior members from the Senate and the House of Commons. The head of the delegation, Senator Don Meredith, is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada and a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and other members of the delegation included Conservative Party Senator Thanh Hai Ngo of the Committee on Human Rights, and Sadia Groguhe, a member of the House of Commons for the New Democratic Party of Canada and the Deputy House Leader of the Official Opposition .
President Ma commented that Senator Meredith used to be an ordained evangelical minister and entrepreneur, and in the past has served as a member of the Toronto Police Service Chief’s Advisory Service. He is also the founder of the GTA Faith Alliance, which focuses on preventing crime among youth, the president said. Senator Meredith, the president noted, has received the Urban Leadership Award from the Canadian Urban Institute in 2006 and the Toronto Police Service 13 Division Community Service Award from the Ontario Government in 2008. He has enthusiastically provided assistance to the Toronto police force and involved himself in Senate committees on aboriginal peoples, human rights, legal and constitutional affairs, and transport and communications, the president remarked, adding that he is a politician of very high repute.
President Ma mentioned that Senator Ngo was appointed at the end of last year to the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, highlighting his performance and contributions over the years as a judge and human rights advocate. The president commented that while the other five members of the New Democratic Party were only elected to the House of Commons in 2011, they all have played important roles in the lower house of parliament. Four of these members of parliament were elected in districts near Chinatown in Montreal and have enthusiastically participated in activities organized by overseas compatriots associated with the ROC's Double Tenth Day and the Lunar New Year, which points to their support for the ROC and the importance they place on relations with Taiwan, he said.
President Ma stated that when Taiwan held presidential elections in March 2008 and in January of last year, then-Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier and current Foreign Minister John Baird issued statements of congratulations on each occasion, praising the accomplishments of Taiwan's democracy and declaring that the continued improvement in cross-strait relations is helping to ensure regional peace and stability. The president furthermore mentioned that Prime Minister Harper has twice dispatched delegations to Taiwan to attend his inauguration ceremonies, taking pragmatic action to display Canada's strong support for the core values of democracy, freedom, rule of law, and human rights pursued by Taiwan.
President Ma remarked that substantive relations between Taiwan and Canada, as well as cooperation on a variety of fronts, have advanced considerably over the past five years. For instance, bilateral trade between 2007 and 2012 grew by over 22% from C$5 billion to nearly C$6.1 billion, he said. The president pointed out that Taiwan is Canada's fourth largest trading partner in Asia and its 14th largest trading partner in the world. Moreover, Taiwan and Canada have signed 18 MOUs and agreements covering technology, economic and trade relations, education, and customs affairs, he noted. In April 2010, the two nations signed the Taiwan-Canada Memorandum of Understanding on Youth Mobility (i.e. a working holiday agreement), and in November of the same year the Canadian government further announced that it was providing visa-free courtesies for ROC nationals, he said. All of these are fruits of the work carried out by both sides, the president commented.
President Ma stressed that Canada has magnificent natural scenery and is a cultural center that has long been an important destination for businessmen, tourists, and students from Taiwan. He also pointed out that in the year following Canada's introduction of visa-free courtesies for ROC nationals, the number of tourists visiting Canada from Taiwan grew by over 15%, which proves that such measures help to boost tourism and have a positive effect on bilateral trade and investment.
President Ma mentioned that he has participated in the Terry Fox Run over 10 times since his days as Taipei City mayor, and he even served as the executive director of the organizing committee here. He pointed out that many years ago he visited the headquarters of the Terry Fox Foundation in Toronto, adding that Taiwan has consistently been in the top 10 globally in the number of participants in this activity and the amount of funds raised. President Ma also expressed admiration for Terry Fox, citing his commitment to raising funds for cancer research, his indomitable spirit, and his deep love for sports.
The president furthermore noted that Canada in October of last year formally entered into negotiations to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and he expressed hope that Canada will support Taiwan's efforts to join the TPP, as well. In addition, the president pointed out, the 38th annual conference of the International Civil Aviation Organization will be held this September in Montreal, and he hopes that Canada will continue to support meaningful participation for Taiwan in this international organization.
In addition to Senator Meredith and Senator Ngo, the 13-person delegation also included Members of Parliament Djaouida Sellah, Isabelle Morin, Francois Pilon, and Randall Garrison. The group was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Deputy Representative to Canada Iris Li-yin Chou (周莉音) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添), National Security Council Advisor Francis Yi-Hua Kan (甘逸驊), and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ting Joseph Shih (石定).