9 October 2012
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced today that he would be travelling to Senegal for an official visit from October 11 to 12, and to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where he will take part in the 14th Summit of la Francophonie, to take place October 13 and 14. Accompanying him will be Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation, and Bernard Valcourt, Associate Minister of National Defence and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) (la Francophonie), will attend the Summit of la Francophonie.
“French is much more than a language,” stated the Prime Minister. “As a country whose founding language is French, Canada holds dear and will continue to promote the values of the Francophonie, such as democracy, human rights and good governance.”
At the Summit, the government will continue to promote the French Language and economic and trade links within the Francophonie community with a view to spurring job creation and economic growth at hand. Canada will also use the opportunity to express its concerns about reports of increased human rights abuses and regional tensions in the DRC.
Canada will also discuss its experiences and discovering new methods of strengthening the link between resource extraction, poverty reduction and sustainable economic development.
Prior to the Summit, Prime Minister Harper will travel to Dakar, Senegal, where he will mark the 50th anniversary of close bilateral relations in a variety of areas including the promotion of peace and security, trade and investment, and development assistance. Senegal is also a key partner with Canada in a number of multilateral institutions, including the Francophonie.
Canada welcomes the latest democratic elections in Senegal – which were conducted fairly and transparently – and is pleased to have the opportunity to work with President Macky Sall to strengthen its partnership with Senegal.
