Ottawa (VNA) - As part of his State visit to Canada, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam had a working luncheon with Speaker of the Senate Raymonde Gagné and Speaker of the House of Commons Francis Scarpaleggia at the Parliament of Canada on September 24 (local time).
Warmly welcoming General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, the leaders of the Canadian Parliament expressed their honour at receiving the top Vietnamese leader at the Parliament, spoke highly of the significance of the visit and the two countries’ fresh agreement to elevate their relations to a Strategic Partnership, opening a new chapter in Vietnam–Canada relations.
The Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons affirmed that bilateral relations have been built on a foundation of decades of shared goals, common interests, and enduring friendship. They expressed their belief that the coming years would open up many new opportunities to further deepen relations between the two countries and their people.
The Canadian parliamentary leaders noted that the two countries’ relations already have a broad and solid foundation, while greater achievements still lie ahead and there is much more the two sides can accomplish together.
Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia emphasised that the Canadian Parliament itself provides vivid evidence of the close ties between the two countries, with many parliamentarians actively fostering Canada–Vietnam friendship. The Canada–Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group, comprising 25 senators and members of the House of Commons, serves as an important bridge between the two countries.
The Canadian parliamentary leaders also highly valued the contributions of the more than 275,000 Vietnamese-Canadians in fields including science and technology, business, arts, sports, and community activities. The Speaker of the House of Commons expressed his desire to visit Vietnam soon to further promote exchanges and cooperation between the two legislative bodies.
For his part, General Secretary and President To Lam expressed his pleasure at visiting the Parliament of Canada and conveyed the greetings and best wishes of National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man to the leaders of the two chambers. He thanked and highly appreciated the practical support provided by the Canadian Parliament to Vietnam and bilateral relations over the past more than 50 years.
The top leader of Vietnam said that during his talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney, the two sides had agreed to elevate Vietnam–Canada relations to a Strategic Partnership on the basis of mutual benefit and in line with the potential of and growing demand for cooperation between the two countries. Within the new framework of relationship, he proposed making parliamentary cooperation an important pillar, contributing to strengthening political trust, creating a legal foundation, and promoting the effective implementation of high-level agreements.
The two sides should increase delegation exchanges, particularly parliamentary leaders, specialised committees, parliamentary friendship groups, women and young parliamentarians; enhance the sharing of experience in legislation and oversight; and coordinate more closely at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and other multilateral parliamentary forums.
General Secretary and President To Lam expressed his hope to welcome the leaders of the Canadian Parliament to Vietnam soon.
Regarding economic, trade, and investment cooperation, the top Vietnamese leader proposed maintaining economic cooperation as a focus and driving force of bilateral relations; making more effective use of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP); and facilitating access for Vietnamese goods, particularly agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, to the Canadian market.
“Vietnam welcomes and stands ready to facilitate increased investment by Canadian businesses in areas with potential such as energy, the green economy, the circular economy, green hydrogen, and e-commerce,” he stated.
On defence and security, General Secretary and President To Lam expressed his hope that the Canadian Parliament would support efforts by the two sides to strengthen cooperation in combating various types of crime, enhance law-enforcement capacity, and gradually develop appropriate cooperation frameworks.
At the same time, the two countries should create new breakthroughs in areas where Canada has strengths and Vietnam has needs, such as science and technology, innovation, clean energy, the green economy, high-quality human resources training, the defence industry, and aviation, he said.
They should also continue to effectively implement development cooperation, particularly support for workforce training, small and medium-sized enterprises, gender equality, poverty reduction, climate change response, and food security, he added.
General Secretary and President To Lam placed particular emphasis on expanding cooperation in education and training, diversifying exchange and scholarship programmes for Vietnamese students, and focusing on high-quality human resources training in areas where Canada has strengths.
Regarding multilateral cooperation, he proposed that the Canadian Parliament continue to closely coordinate with the Vietnamese National Assembly at regional and international parliamentary forums; support the peaceful settlement of disputes in the East Sea on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982); and continue to coordinate with and support Vietnam in its roles as CPTPP Chair in 2026, APEC host in 2027, and ASEAN Chair in 2030.
He also suggested that the Canadian Parliament and Government continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to stabilise their lives, integrate into and make positive contributions to the host society, while promoting their important role as a bridge between the two countries.
The two sides expressed their confidence that building on more than 50 years of friendship and the newly established Strategic Partnership framework, Vietnam–Canada relations as a whole, as well as cooperation between the two countries’ legislative bodies in particular, would continue to develop in an increasingly substantive and effective manner, for the benefit of the people of both countries and for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world./.
