Mr. Speaker, as president of the Canada-Ireland Interparliamentary Friendship Group, it is my pleasure to welcome the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, and Dr. Martin McAleese to Ottawa as they begin the first official state visit of an Irish president to Canada.
[Editor's Note: Member spoke in Gaelic]
During this 12 day tour President McAleese will visit all four Atlantic provinces, as well as Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Grosse Ile. In her meetings with MPs, senators and members of the Irish community she will discuss the many cultural and economic ties between our two countries.
President McAleese has expressed the deep gratitude of the Irish people for Canada's support of Ireland during the peace process. We hope that the peace we enjoy here will now be a reality in the ancestral land of so many Canadians.