Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today announced that this week he will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, from December 1 to 2, followed by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Foreign Ministerial Council in Basel, Switzerland, from December 3 to 4. From there he will travel to Manama, Bahrain, to participate in the 10th annual Manama Dialogue from December 6 to 7.
The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, and the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, today announced that Canada has signed foreign investment promotion and protection agreements (FIPAs) with three sub-Saharan African countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Senegal. The FIPAs were signed by Minister Paradis and his counterparts from the three countries on the margins of the 15th Francophonie Summit and the first Francophonie Economic Forum, taking place in Dakar, Senegal, from November 29 to 30.
| Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
| news releases
The Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, announced today an agreement with the National Association of Friendship Centres to help enable Aboriginal people in urban centres to take advantage of the economic prosperity of our country.
The Dakar summit offered an unprecedented opportunity to celebrate Secretary General Abdou Diouf's legacy to La Francophonie, in his country of origin, at the end of his third, and final, term.
The Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, the Honourable Christian Paradis, today concluded a six-day visit to Dakar, Senegal, where he participated in the 15th Summit of La Francophonie, which was held on November 29–30. Prime Minister Stephen Harper led the Canadian delegation at the Dakar summit.
Today, Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada, Peter MacKay announced that the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act will come into force on December 6. The new criminal law provisions, together with new funding of $20 million to support programming for those who want to leave prostitution, provides a comprehensive approach to assisting victims of sexual exploitation and protecting Canadians from the harms of prostitution.
The Government of Canada's comprehensive and "made-Canada" approach to address prostitution includes two essential parts, program funding to help vulnerable persons leave prostitution, and criminal law reform - the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act - in response to the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in Canada v. Bedford.
| Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
| news releases
The Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Chief Billy Joe Laboucan, the councillors of the Lubicon Lake Band and MP Chris Warkentin today announced the signing of a Negotiation Framework to move forward with land claim negotiations that will lead to greater economic self-sufficiency and prosperity for members of the Lubicon Lake Band.
