OTTAWA, ON — David Tilson, Member of Parliament for Dufferin–Caledon, recently met with French Ambassador to Canada, Daniel Jouanneau, together with members from the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association.

The all-party parliamentary delegation met with the Ambassador and his staff, in Ottawa, in preparation for the Parliamentary Mission traveling to France later this month. France will hold the next European Union (EU) Presidency and will be hosting the Meeting of the Economic Affairs and Development Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Mr. Tilson is the current President of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association and will be traveling with the delegation to France.

During their meeting, Mr. Tilson and the French Ambassador discussed several significant upcoming events involving both countries including: the 12th Francophonie Summit that Canada will host in Quebec City, in October of this year; the 2008 Canada-EU Summit also taking place in October; and Quebec City’s 400th anniversary.

Mr. Tilson and the French Ambassador discussed four major issues of mutual importance to both countries: the environment and sustainable development; immigration; foreign policy and security; and agriculture. Other issues touched on during the meeting included: French troops in Afghanistan, rising energy costs, EU enlargement, and pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. Mr. Tilson was noted stating, “Although the four major issues we’re discussing here today are shared issues between France and Canada, they are often raised in my riding of Dufferin-Caledon, especially the issues of immigration and agriculture.”

Following the meeting with the French Ambassador, Mr. Tilson made the following comment, “We had a most productive meeting in preparation for the upcoming meetings to be held at PACE later this month and I look forward to discussing them further. Our countries have many cultural, economic, and political ties that make our relationship unique and very special. We can learn a great deal from each other when addressing issues of domestic and international scope.”