His Highness the Aga Khan Visits Canada on the Occasion of His Golden Jubilee (Media Advisory)

Please also see: Communiqué de presse
Ottawa, Canada, 18th November, 2008 - His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and Founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) arrives in Ottawa today at the start of an 8-day visit to Canada on the occasion of his Golden Jubilee. The Aga Khan, who is in Canada as a guest of the Government, is commemorating his fifty years of leadership as Imam of the Ismaili Muslims. He will be met by The Honourable John Baird, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities on behalf of the Government of Canada.
During the visit, His Highness will be welcomed by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada and will meet with senior government officials to discuss areas of active collaboration between Canada and the AKDN.
The Aga Khan will travel to Toronto, where he will meet with The Honourable Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario. He will also preside over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between McMaster University and the Aga Khan University (AKU), which has campuses and programmes in eight countries in South Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
During his stay in Calgary, the Aga Khan will meet with The Honourable Norman L. Kwong, Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta; Dr. Indira Samarasekera, the President of the University of Alberta, and Dr. Carl Amrhein, Provost and Vice President.
In Vancouver, the Aga Khan will meet with the Mayor of the City of Burnaby, His Worship Derek Corrigan, as well as The Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia.
The Aga Khan will meet and address gatherings of the Ismaili community in each city.
His Highness is scheduled to return to Ottawa for the official inauguration of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat building on Sussex Drive, on December 6, 2008. The Delegation will serve a representational role for the activities of the Imamat including the AKDN, and will mark a new phase in the Imamat’s partnership with Canada.
The Aga Khan Development Network has a long-standing relationship with Canada and Canadians. Over the past 25 years, the AKDN, particularly through Aga Khan Foundation Canada, has collaborated with a diverse set of institutions, including universities, government departments, the private sector and civil society organizations, to bring the best of Canada’s human, intellectual and technical resources to bear on the challenges of the developing world.
For more information, please contact: Jennifer Morrow Aga Khan Foundation Canada E-mail: Jennifer@akfc.ca Tel: 1-613-237-2532 ext. 107 Cell: 1-613-697-9532
Amir Karim Aga Khan Council for Canada E-mail: amir.karim@polykar.com Tel: 1-514-574-3754
Dr. Iqbal Ahmed Aga Khan Council for Canada E-mail: drihahmed@gmail.com Tel: 1-604-218-7864


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