NEWS RELEASE

Canada to host the 70^th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, opens press accreditation

From 22 to 25 November 2024, Canada will host the 70^th Annual Session of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) in Montréal, Quebec. A delegation of Canadian Senators and Members of Parliament (MPs) led by Julie Dzerowicz, MP and Chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association, will participate in the event.

In a video address to NATO PA delegations gathered for the 2024 Spring Session in Sofia, Bulgaria, MP Dzerowicz declared: “We are gathering at a critical juncture in history. Since Canada last hosted the Annual Session, in 2018, the international security environment has deteriorated. We are also seeing new forms of disruption, from both state and non-state actors. Our international rules-based order is threatened, and so is our democracy.”

The session will allow parliamentarians from NATO and partner countries to deliberate on these threats to their core institutions and to consolidate the transatlantic relationship that lies at the heart of the Alliance. Canada will also highlight its contributions to NATO operations and reaffirm its unwavering commitment to such NATO values as democracy, the rule of law and individual liberty.

Some 300 delegates from 57 NATO PA Member, Associate, Regional Partner, and Observer states are expected in Montreal, where they will receive briefings from government representatives, NATO officials, academics, and other experts on issues of interest to the Alliance in five thematic committees. The Annual Session’s program, draft reports and draft resolutions will be available on the NATO PA’s website.

Notes for Media

Journalists wishing to enter the Session premises are asked to complete an accreditation form. Information on the media accreditation process is available on the Session’s Press & Media webpage.

Incoming delegations, the NATO PA, and the host Canadian delegation will provide real-time news, reports, perspectives, and commentary under the hashtag #NATOPAMontreal. For more information, please visit the Multimedia Hub.

About the NATO PA

The NATO PA is an inter-parliamentary organization that brings together parliamentarians from the national parliaments of the 32 NATO member countries, as well as from 11 associate countries, four Mediterranean associate countries and seven parliamentary observer delegations.

The NATO PA’s work addresses a wide range of social, cultural, political, military and economic matters, all of which are of key significance to NATO as it seeks to respond to new and emerging defence and security challenges. In addition to the Spring and Annual sessions, NATO PA delegates participate in other meetings and exchange information with colleagues throughout Europe and North America, as well as the Indo Pacific region and Africa.

Canada’s membership in the Alliance remains a cornerstone of Canadian defence and security policy, and members of the Canadian Armed Forces have participated in almost every NATO operation throughout the Alliance’s history. Moreover, as an Arctic country, a North Atlantic country and a Pacific country, Canada holds an important strategic position in terms of transatlantic security.

This year, in addition to her role as an ex-officio Vice President, Ms. Dzerowicz, MP, is serving as a special rapporteur for the Committee on Democracy and Security’s draft report on the protection of cultural property in conflict situations. Three other Canadian parliamentarians also currently hold notable roles within the NATO PA:

• Senator Jane Cordy, Vice-chair of the Committee on Democracy and Security’s Sub-Committee on Resilience and Civil Security.

• Cheryl Gallant, MP, Chair of the Political Committee’s Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Relations; and

• Senator Rebecca Patterson, Vice-chair of the Defence and Security Committee’s Sub-Committee on Future Security and Defence Capabilities.

The 70^th Session will mark the sixth time Canada has hosted a NATO PA Annual Session, after the 17^th (Ottawa, 1971), the 25^th (Ottawa, 1979), the 47^th (Ottawa, 2001), the 52^nd (Québec City, 2006), and the 64^th (Halifax, 2018).

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For further information:
Julie Dzerowicz, MP
Chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association
+1 613-992-2576

Céline Ethier
Association Secretary
Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association
CANA@parl.gc.ca