TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A delegation from the Canadian Senate met with officials from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday (Nov. 8). 

The delegation was led by Rebecca Patterson, the deputy leader of the Canadian Senators Group in the upper chamber of Canada’s parliament. The group also included Stanley Kutcher and Margo Greenwood, both of the Independent Senators Group.  

At Friday’s luncheon, the senators met with Foreign Affairs Vice-Minister Chen Li-Kuo (陳立國), ambassador-at-large Wu Yun-tung (吳運東), Deputy Director of the Ocean Affairs Council Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽), and MacKay Memorial Hospital Chair Chang Wen-han (張文瀚). They discussed bilateral cooperation in healthcare, trade, and policy towards Indigenous peoples, according to a foreign affairs press release.

Earlier in the week, the senators attended the Global Health and Welfare Forum in Taiwan. Patterson said that Taiwan and Canada share many similar values, and both recognize the importance of public healthcare for the greater well-being of society.  

The Taiwan officials and the Canadian senators agreed that the bilateral relationship is strong, with both sides eager to help one another build more resilient public health systems.