Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent trade mission to Canada; if he will further report on his meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau; and the issues that were discussed. [39031/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I travelled to Canada between 19-23 August.

My visit commenced in Montréal with an official welcoming ceremony and a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister. During our meeting we discussed the provisional implementation of CETA which commences tomorrow, September 21. We discussed the latest developments on Brexit and Ireland's priorities in the negotiations. Prime Minister Trudeau updated me on the latest state of play with regards to the NAFTA negotiations. In the context of a wider conversation on healthcare, I updated the Prime Minister on plans to hold a constitutional referendum on the Eighth Amendment. We also discussed Climate Change and reaffirmed both our countries' commitment to the Paris Agreement.

Following our meeting, Prime Minister Trudeau and I walked together in the Fierté Montréal Pride Parade. I also met with leaders and representatives of the Irish community in Montréal and wider Quebec region, before travelling to Toronto.

In Toronto I had a number of business engagements including a business breakfast event attended by 150 contacts of the joint hosts, Enterprise Ireland, the Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce and the Ireland Funds. I attended a Tourism Ireland event with representatives of the travel industry and airlines, and a number of individual meetings with IDA and EI client companies. I also had the opportunity to meet with political and community leaders and members of the Irish diaspora, including representatives of the Irish Canadian Immigration Centre, at an Irish Community Reception.

Also in Toronto, I attended a ceremony to mark the start of construction of the new Dr. George Robert Grasett Park, which will be a memorial to the medical staff who gave their lives to aid Irish famine victims.

During my visit I also travelled to the US-Canada border where I was briefed on Customs arrangements there. While they employ a range of mechanisms to ensure smooth and efficient customs processing it was clear to me that it was not a satisfactory model for border arrangements on this island after Brexit.

Finally, I also had a number of international media engagements.

Overall, my visit to Canada was extremely positive and an excellent opportunity to further develop the strong links between our two countries.