Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Attend Seventh Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama

Introduction

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that he will attend the Seventh Summit of the Americas taking place from April 10 to 11, 2015, in Panama City, Panama. He will be accompanied by Rob Nicholson, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The theme for this year’s Summit is Prosperity with Equity: The Challenge of Cooperation in the Americas. The Summit, which is held every three years, will bring together leaders of the Americas to explore possible cooperation on issues related to security, energy, health, education, migration flows, democratic governance and citizen participation.

Canada values the Summit of the Americas as a unique opportunity to engage the region at the highest level and to define common goals and actions that contribute to greater prosperity, security and democracy.

Increasing Canadian and hemispheric economic opportunity is a key goal of Canada’s engagement in the Americas.

Quick Facts

• The Summits of the Americas are institutionalized gatherings of the heads of state and government of the Western Hemisphere where leaders discuss common policy issues, affirm shared values and commit to concerted actions at the national and regional level to address continuing and new challenges faced in the Americas.
• Canada has participated in all the Summits of the Americas, the first of which was held in Miami in 1994, and is a strong supporter of the process. Canada was proud to host the Third Summit in Québec City in 2001.
• This is Prime Minister Harper’s third Summit of the Americas. In 2009 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, Prime Minister Harper underscored Canada’s leadership in confronting the global economic crisis through fostering economic opportunities and free trade by increasing Canada’s callable capital at the Inter-American Development Bank. Prime Minister Harper also launched the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program, a scholarship program designed to support the development of human capital and promote a next generation of leaders in the Americas.
• At the last Summit in 2012 in Cartagena, Colombia, Prime Minister Harper announced support for economic growth and development in the Americas, in particular the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in the Americas.  Prime Minister Harper also underscored Canada’s commitment to working with its partners to combat transnational crime through capacity building and announced the establishment of the Canadian Initiative for Security in Central America.
• Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the Americas a foreign policy priority in 2007 with a vision of a more prosperous, secure and democratic hemisphere. More than 40 federal partner departments, agencies and Crown corporations are implementing Canada’s Strategy for Engagement in the Americas, and more than $4.6 billion in total international assistance has been invested since 2007.
• 2015 marks the celebration of Canada’s 25^th year as a member of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Toronto will proudly host the XVII Pan American Games in July and V Parapan American Games in August.

Quote

“I look forward to working with leaders from across the Americas to promote prosperity in the hemisphere to advance democracy and human rights, and to help address security and development challenges.” – Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Associated Link

• Summits of the Americas