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PM meets with Secretaries General of La Francophonie and the Commonwealth
9 June 2010
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper met today with Abdou Diouf, Secretary-General of La Francophonie, and Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth to discuss the upcoming G-8 and G-20 Summits. Today’s visit is part of Canada’s outreach efforts in advance of this month’s summits. Prime Minister Harper briefed both Secretaries General on Canada’s priorities for the G-8 and G-20 Summits. For the G-8, Prime Minister Harper highlighted Canada’s maternal, newborn, and child health initiative, and indicated that broader development issues, global peace and security matters, and climate change would also be on the agenda.
Prime Minister Harper noted that the fragile global economy would keep the focus of the G-20 Summit on the economy. Specifically, the Prime Minister outlined the need for the completion of stimulus delivery, the need to develop credible plans to balance budgets, and the need for progress on financial sector reforms.
Secretary-General Diouf and Secretary-General Sharma thanked the Prime Minister for seeking their views ahead of the summits.
Prime Minister Harper thanked both leaders for meeting with him and agreed with the need to "ensure genuinely global perspectives are brought to the table in Muskoka and Toronto."
