Ottawa, Canada, 6 December 2008 - His Highness the Aga Khan and the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, today inaugurated the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, Canada. The Delegation will serve a representational role for the Imamat and the AKDN's nine non-denominational, philanthropic, development agencies. In his Speech, His Highness the Aga Khan underscored the importance of the milestone event and what it represented for Canada. "What we celebrate today can be seen as a new creative link between the spiritual dimensions of Islam and the cultures of the West," he said. "Even more particularly, it represents another new bridge between the peoples of Islam and the peoples of Canada."