Visit to the United States of America - Day 4

The Governor General toured the Visitor Center of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to see first-hand the partnership that exists between the Foundation and Grand Challenges Canada, which supports innovators developing new approaches and instruments to help accelerate progress in global health.

Following the visit, the Governor General met with senior executives to discuss Canada’s opportunities to support Microsoft’s global research and development.

Mr. John Payes, Technical Account Manager, offered some explanations to His Excellency. Highlighted technologies at Microsoft’s Envisioning Center include workplace collaboration tools, novel touchscreens, voice recognition and ubiquitous computing.

Microsoft’s Envisioning Center facility encompasses scenarios at home, at work and places in between, and is inspired by product teams, Microsoft Research and by trends throughout the industry. Highlighted technologies include workplace collaboration tools, novel touchscreens, voice recognition and ubiquitous computing.

Opportunities and challenges that characterize the technology ecosystem in Seattle were also discussed.

While in Seattle, the Governor General also met with academic, business and innovation leaders to discuss major innovation and trade trends.

Mr. Denis Stevens, Minister and Deputy Head of mission for Canada in Washington, took part to the discussion.

The meeting was also an opportunity to reiterate Canada’s commitment to continuing its leadership in areas of mutual interest such as maternal, newborn and child health, as well as food and nutrition security.

The Governor General met with senior officials, including Dr. Daniel Greenstein, director of Education, Postsecondary Success in the United States Program, to share philanthropy strategies and approaches pertaining to global health and post-secondary education in American institutions.

The Governor General visited Microsoft’s Envisioning Center, which offers a hands-on experience with the future of business and leisure—and also serves as a laboratory for the company’s engineering teams. Ms. Laura Ipsen, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector greeted His Excellency.