Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today announced that he will attend the inauguration of Dilma Rousseff as president of Brazil on January 1, 2015. Ms. Rousseff will be commencing her second term as president.

“Brazil is a key partner for Canada,” said Baird. “We look forward to continuing to work with President Rousseff to advance our common goals of economic development, global peace and security, and the protection of human rights and the rule of law.”

Brazil is one of the world’s largest economies and most populous democracies. Canada and Brazil enjoy a wide-ranging bilateral relationship, and Brazil features prominently in Canada’s Strategy for Engagement in the Americas, Global Markets Action Plan and International Education Strategy.

“I look forward to deepening our partnership to the benefit of both countries and to exploring areas for further collaboration,” said Baird.