Canadian Parliament delegation lands in Taiwan

The Canada-Taiwan Friendship Group delegation, led by the group’s chair Judy Sgro, arrived in Taiwan on Sunday morning (Oct. 9).

The cross-party delegation, which includes MPs Angelo Iacono, Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Richard Martel, and Chris Lewis, is the first to visit Taiwan since the beginning of the pandemic in 2019. The group congratulated Taiwan on behalf of the Canadian Parliament as its visit coincides with Double Ten Day, which is of great significance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release.

The delegation members will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), and Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃).

Wu will also confer Taiwan’s Grand Medal of Diplomacy to Sgro for her contributions to Taiwan-Canada relations.

Taiwan and Canada are close partners who share common values of democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, MOFA said. Sgro’s cross-party delegation fully demonstrates the Canadian Parliament’s firm support for Taiwan as China unnecessarily escalates regional tensions, the ministry added.

Through this trip, the delegation will have a better understanding of the current situation in Taiwan and the region. Their visit will also deepen the bilateral partnership in the Canadian Parliament, MOFA said.

A Japanese delegation, led by National Diet member Furuya Keiji, and a U.S. delegation, led by Eddit Bernice Johnson, chairwoman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, are both currently in Taiwan for the Double Ten Day celebration.

Agencies