Interparliamentary Activities and Reports

On June 5th 2020, the Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, moderated a virtual dialogue entitled “Legislating for Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery: Cooperative Dialogue between Presiding Officers of Parliaments of the Americas.” Presiding officers of 15 legislatures from across the Americas participated in the dialogue in Spanish.

Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), gave the keynote address, highlighting how the pandemic has affected the economic situation in the Americas and Caribbean region and outlining proposals that could help mitigate its effects. She explained that ECLAC expects that, in 2020, the gross domestic product of the Americas and Caribbean region will fall by 5%, 12 million people will become unemployed, and the number of people living in poverty will increase by over 28 million in the region. She highlighted that certain population groups in the region are more likely to suffer as a result of the pandemic. For example, women make up the majority of workers in the informal labour force, they often have little in the way of savings, and they have to go outside the home to earn an income. In addition, many children and adolescents may not have access to online learning; it is estimated that only 20% have this option. Ms. Bárcena proposed the following options to respond to the economic crisis sparked by COVID-19 in the Americas and the Caribbean: establish an emergency basic income over a period of six months for people living in poverty; provide subsidies to companies based on the number of employees and the employer’s commitment to its employees; promote measures leading to a more egalitarian and environmentally sustainable economic structure; and implement universal healthcare. Ms. Bárcena highlighted the important role of parliaments in implementing these measures.

Following the keynote presentation, the presiding officers each presented the measures implemented in their countries to respond to the pandemic.

The committee held a regular meeting on 4 June 2020 via videoconference. Members reported on the health and socio-economic effects of COVID-19 pandemic in the Arctic, the responses and common challenges of Arctic nations. Common challenges experienced across Arctic nations included: the downturn in tourism upon which a number of Arctic communities depend; COVID-19 border closures affecting the movement of Indigenous peoples living across national borders; measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among seasonal workers arriving in the Arctic to work in fish processing and oil and gas sectors; and the anticipated increased frequency of forest fires in the Arctic over the summer of 2020. Members raised some of the themes related to the drafting of the Conference Statement to be adopted at the next biennial Conference. The Conference, which was originally to be held in Norway in September 2020, is currently postponed to Spring 2021.

The Honourable Scott Simms P.C., M.P., President, CAEU, participated in a videoconference call with the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Canada (D-CA). D-CA participants included Ms. Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (Chair), Mr. Javier Moreno Sánchez (Vice-Chair, Spain), Mr. Jan Olbrycht (Poland), Ms. Isabel Carvalhais (Portugal), Mr. Martin Schirdewan (Germany), Mr. Mislav Kolakušic (Croatia), and Mr. Javier Zarzalejos (Spain). The main topics of discussion were Canadian and European responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) – with a focus on its benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises – and fisheries in the context of the European Union’s ongoing negotiations with the United Kingdom over their future relationship. Discussions continued regarding the status of the annual interparliamentary meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Canada in November.

Meeting of the Bureau of the Network of Women Parliamentarians – June 2, 2020 The Bureau is the organizing committee of the APF’s Network of Women Parliamentarians. It sets the agenda and decides on other administrative matters for the main committee. At the Bureau’s videoconference meeting, Member of Parliament Marie-France Lalonde, rapporteur of the Canadian Branch of the AP,F was among the members present to discuss the ongoing and upcoming studies of the main Commission, namely its report on cyberviolence against women and children and another proposal on the economic empowerment of francophone women. The parliamentarians decided to hold a meeting to discuss a future policy on preventing and addressing harassment; women’s role in the extractive industries, and women’s contribution to the fight against COVID 19. In closing, the agenda for the next meeting of the Political Committee, was adopted.

Members of Parliament Karen McCrimmon, Darren Fisher, Cheryl Gallant and John McKay participated in this event. This was the second webinar held as part of the NATO PA’s response and adaptation to the COVID 19 crisis. Lieutenant General Fernando López del Pozo, Commander of the Operations Command for Spain and officer in charge of Operation Balmis (the Spanish armed forces’ mission to manage the coronavirus crisis), addressed nearly 90 Assembly members and parliamentary staff. The virtual meeting gave rise to dynamic discussions. The participants learned more about the pandemic response in Spain and, more generally, around the world. They also drew lessons that may be useful in Canada.

Meeting of the Political Committee (PC) Bureau – May 29, 2020 The Bureau is the organizing committee of the APF’s Political Committee. It sets the agenda and decides on other administrative matters for the main committee. At the Bureau’s videoconference meeting, the honourable Dennis Dawson, Senator and rapporteur of the Canadian Branch of the APF was among the members present to discuss about the ongoing and upcoming studies of the main Commission. They decided to hold a meeting to discuss about the pandemic situation among member countries of APF and meet with officials of Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. In closing, the agenda for the next meeting of the Political Committee, was adopted.

Karen McCrimmon, MP and President of the Canadian Section, participated in this virtual meeting, during which the Assembly’s response to the COVID 19 pandemic and its impact on the NATO PA’s activities for 2020 were discussed. A review of the Constitution also made it possible to address the Bureau’s appointment and approval of the President and Vice Presidents. Furthermore, during the meeting, a financial update was provided to enable planning for future virtual sessions during the health crisis.

Meeting of the APF Crisis Committee (COVID-19) - May 28, 2020 The new, temporary, APF Crisis Committee held its second meeting on May 28 with the APF committee chairs and chargés de mission in attendance. Canadian Branch attendees included Francis Drouin, MP, Chair of the Canadian Branch and First Vice-President of the APF; Chris d’Entremont, MP and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Branch; and Joël Godin, MP and Chair of the APF’s Parliamentary Affairs Committee. Attendees were told that a number of measures were adopted by the Permanent Delegation of the APF’s Bureau, including a crisis plan and certain initiatives to fight COVID 19 and address its various impacts. The importance of efficient networking among the APF’s committees and networks was also underlined for the fight against the pandemic. The chairs of the various committees and networks were asked to ensure that their groups are taking concrete action to provide information about COVID-19 and fight the virus. Specifically, the political and parliamentary affairs committees expressed a desire to work together in order to take full stock of how the pandemic is impacting parliamentary proceedings and parliamentarians in La Francophonie in their daily work. The Political Committee suggested that Senator Dawson’s report on the freedom of the press also address the fight against COVID-19 disinformation, particularly on social media. The Parliamentary Network on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria also added a “pandemic” component to its mandate in order to study issues related to the impacts of COVID-19. Lastly, it is noted that the Cooperation and Development Committee will address the issue of African debt relief, as raised by Mr. Drouin at the last Crisis Committee meeting.

The Bureau is the organizing committee of the APF’s Network of Young Parliamentarians. It sets the agenda and decides on other administrative matters for the main committee. At the Bureau’s videoconference meeting, MP Kristina Michaud, rapporteur of the Canadian Branch was among the members present to discuss the current and future studies of the main Commission, namely its report on youth participation in political life. The Bureau meeting concluded after setting the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the Young Parliamentarians Network.

On May 26, 2020, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s AdHoc Committee on Migration held a parliamentary web dialogue on the topic “Protecting refugees and migrants during the pandemic: Camps and closed centres under lockdown” as part of its efforts to promote inter-parliamentary dialogue on relevant security developments pertaining to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. This event focused on recent developments regarding the situation in camps and other migrant facilities on the Greek Islands and in the Western Balkans, but also touched upon migration issues across the OSCE region. As an appointed member of the Committee, Dr. Hedy Fry attended the meeting and represented the Canadian Delegation.