President Niinistö on a state visit to Canada

Office of the President of the Republic
Press Release 53/2014
9 October 2014

President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö and Mrs Jenni Haukio will make a state visit to Canada from 8 to 11 October 2014.

The official programme will begin today, 9 October, with a visit to the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa. During the day, President Niinistö will meet Governor General David Johnston, Speaker of the House of Commons Andrew Scheer, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and representatives of trade and industry. The main themes of the discussions will be bilateral relations between Finland and Canada, as well as economic opportunities and Arctic cooperation.

On Friday 10 October, the presidential couple will move on to Toronto, where the programme will feature a visit to the University of Toronto, meetings with Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Governor of the Province of Ontario and representatives of trade and industry, and a visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The President's entourage will include Minister of Economic Affairs Jan Vapaavuori and a business delegation representing Finland's Arctic expertise and the extractive industry, as well as the science and research community. Represented in the delegation will be Aker Arctic Technology, Arctia Shipping Ltd., the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), ESL Shipping, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Invest in Finland, Metso Corporation, Neste Oil, Normet Group Oy, Pemamek, the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Wärtsilä Corporation.

Ice hockey player Saku Koivu, who played for Montréal Canadiens in 1995-2009, will join the state visit entourage as a member of the Service d'honneur. A person who has promoted relations between the two countries in his or her specific field, and made Finland known in the country visited, can be invited to join the Service d'honneur on state visits.

President Mauno Koivisto made the previous state visit from Finland to Canada in 1990 and the Governor General of Canada, Adrianne Clarkson, made a state visit to Finland in 2003.