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Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Mr Prime Minister,
Speaker Kinsella,
Speaker Scheer,
Honourable Members of the Senate and House of Commons,
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
Honourable Members of the Diplomatic Community,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

This week, the Aga Khan will be in Ottawa to address a joint session of Parliament, a signal honour reserved for a handful of extraordinary people who have a special relationship with Canada.

It is not hard to understand why this country is special to the Aga Khan, who for more than 50 years has been the spiritual leader of the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims. Shocked in 1972 when Uganda suddenly expelled anyone of Asian descent, including thousands of Ismailis, he turned to Pierre Elliott Trudeau in his search for a haven.

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that His Highness the Aga Khan will make an official visit to Canada later this month. During his visit, the Aga Khan will meet with Prime Minister Harper, who has invited him to deliver an historic address to Parliament.

Your Excellency the Governor General
Mrs Johnston
Ministers
Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am delighted to welcome all of you to the Global Centre’s second annual Pluralism Lecture. And I am especially honored to introduce today’s lecturer – Kofi Annan – the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Nobel Laureate, and global peacemaker.

Upon his arrival in Ottawa, Mawlana Hazar Imam is greeted by Federal Minister Jason Kenney and President Mohamed Manji of the Ismaili Council for Canada. Photo: Safiq Devji

The inaugural Board of Directors of the Global Centre for Pluralism brings together a group of eminent individuals representing diverse backgrounds and experiences.

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston welcomed His Highness the Aga Khan at Rideau Hall.
Date: October 7, 2010

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 7, 2010) - On behalf of the Government of Canada, the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, today issued the following statement:

"I applaud His Highness the Aga Khan's announcement of a Board of Directors for the Global Centre for Pluralism. I am very pleased to meet the members of the Board, who are gathering in Ottawa for an inaugural two-day meeting.

Newly-Appointed Directors Gather in Ottawa

OTTAWA, Oct 7 /CNW/ - The Board of Directors of the Global Centre for Pluralism, Canada's new international research and education centre dedicated to the study and practice of pluralism worldwide gathered in Ottawa today for its inaugural two-day meeting .

His Highness the Aga Khan, 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and Founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network is in Ottawa on the occasion of the inaugural board meeting of the Global Centre for Pluralism. His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada welcomed the Aga Khan in the Reception Room at Rideau Hall on Thursday, October 7, 2010, at 7 p.m.

The Global Centre for Pluralism is an initiative of His Highness the Aga Khan in partnership with the Government of Canada. The Centre will be located at 330 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, Canada. Dedicated to the creation of successful societies, the Centre is founded on the premise that tolerance, openness and understanding towards the cultures, social structures, values and faiths of other peoples are essential to the very survival of an interdependent world. Pluralism is no longer simply an asset or a prerequisite for progress and development. It is vital to our existence.

TORONTO. Michael Brand, the former J. Paul Getty Museum director who stepped down at the Los Angeles institution earlier this year, has been appointed to a consultancy post at the Aga Khan Development Network, a global Islamic charitable foundation that is currently building an Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. According to sources with knowledge of the hire, the position places Brand — an expert in Asian art — in line to assume the directorship of the Islamic art and culture museum when it opens in a Fumihiko Maki-designed building in 2013.

TORONTO. Michael Brand, the former J. Paul Getty Museum director who stepped down at the Los Angeles institution earlier this year, has been appointed to a consultancy post at the Aga Khan Development Network.

The position places Brand — an expert in Asian art — in line to assume the directorship of the Islamic art and culture museum when it opens in a Fumihiko Maki-designed building in 2013.

Upon his arrival in Ottawa, Mawlana Hazar Imam was welcomed by Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon, Ismaili Council for Canada President Mohamed Manji, and other leaders of the Jamat and AKDN institutions in Canada.