Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird (Ottawa West-Nepean, ON) issued a statement concerning the increased violence in Syria. Baird said that failure by the UN Security Council to effectively deal with the crisis in Syria is yet another free pass for the illegitimate Assad regime and those backing it; Canada is disappointed in the extreme. Baird … Read more
International Trade Minister Ed Fast (Abbotsford, BC) met with business leaders from various sectors of the Canadian economy for a pre-budget consultation. Fast also discussed the benefits to businesses and workers of a Canada-EU trade agreement. The event was hosted by the Canada Europe Roundtable for Business and included business leaders from Canada’s pharmaceutical, engineering, … Read more
Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs) Diane Ablonczy (Calgary-Nosehill, AB) issued a statement concerning the arrest of Canadian Naser Al-Raas. Ablonczy said that the government remains deeply concerned that the Bahraini appeal court rejected medical evidence of Al-Raas’s grave health complications. Ablonczy added that the government appeals to the Government of Bahrain … Read more
International Trade Minister Ed Fast (Abbotsford, BC) met with the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for the Libyan interim government Naim Ghariani. Fast and Ghariani discussed the important role Canada plays in the Libyan student scholarship program. There are approximately 600 Libyan students currently studying in Canadian institutions. Fast said that the many … Read more
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird (Ottawa West-Nepean, ON) and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty (Whitby-Oshawa, ON) will travel to Israel and the West Bank the week of Jan.30, 2012. Baird and Flaherty will engage in a series of high-level meetings on the Middle East peace process, regional security and economic cooperation. Baird said that Canada is … Read more
Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs) Diane Ablonczy (Calgary-Nosehill, AB) issued a statement on learning that the five-year sentence imposed on Canadian Naser Al-Raas has been upheld. Ablonczy said that the government is extremely disappointed with recent reports regarding the sentence of Naser Al-Raas, and the government is following up with … Read more
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird (Ottawa West-Nepean, ON) issued a on the recent developments in Egypt. Baird said that Canada welcomes the long-awaited announcement of the release of Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil. Baird added that social media users like Nabil played an important role—at great personal risk—in Egypt’s revolution. The full release is available online. … Read more
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird (Ottawa West-Nepean, ON) completed a three-day visit to the United Kingdom to advance Canada’s interests on a number of important files. Baird met with United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs William Hague and discussed Iran, and helped further the implementation of the Canada-U.K. Joint Declaration. The full … Read more
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird (Ottawa West-Nepean, ON) issued a statement welcoming the Arab League Plan and condemning Assad's violence. Baird said that the government welcome the Arab League’s report and proposal to have Assad move aside, paving the way for free elections. Baird added that the government is increasingly concerned that Assad is using … Read more
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird (Ottawa West-Nepean, ON) issued a statement concerning terrorist attacks in Kano, Nigeria, that left scores of people dead or injured, and for which radical terrorist group Boko Haram has reportedly claimed responsibility. Baird said that Canada unequivocally condemns these latest cowardly attacks in Nigeria’s north. The full release is available … Read more
