Interparliamentary Activities and Reports

The Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P., President of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Executive Committee Vice-President for the 12+ geopolitical group, participated in the fourth part of the Extraordinary Session of the International Executive Committee by videoconference on July 9, 2020. During this meeting, the members discussed various issues and next steps. The Executive Committee oversees the administration of the IPU and makes recommendations to the IPU Governing Council on various matters.

The Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee considers issues relating to cultural expression in French, education, training, communication, information and communications technologies and audiovisual media. MP Richard Martel represented the Canadian Branch at the committee meeting. Members in attendance were briefed on the reports on activities for both the committee and the Parliamentary Network to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The committee also heard from Prof. Abdel Rahamane Baba-Moussa, General Secretary of the Conference of the Ministers of Education of French speaking countries (CONFEMEN); Georges Malamoud, Strategic Advisor to the Rector of the Agence Universitaire Francophonie (AUF); and Arnaud Mercier, Professor of Communication and Information Science, Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas on the theme, “Disinformation in health: reflections during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Committee members also considered an interim report on teaching during a crisis, received an update on the implementation of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, and shared how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the sphere of culture. To conclude, members discussed subjects on the agenda for the Committee’s next meeting.

The Honourable Scott Simms P.C., M.P., President, CAEU; the Hon. Percy E. Downe, Senator; the Hon. Peter M. Boehm, Senator; the Hon. David Mark Wells, Senator; the Hon. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P.; and the Hon. Larry Bagnell, P.C., M.P. 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, France), Mr. Ondrej Kovarík (Czechia) and Mr. Damian Boeselager (Germany). The main topics of discussion were the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, the ongoing ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) – and its role in a post-pandemic recovery – relations with China (including the detention of Michael Korvig and Michael Spavor), and the recent election of non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council. The meeting concluded with a discussion on topics for discussion at a future meeting. Among the proposed topics were artificial intelligence, migration, the taxation of digital goods and services, the gendered impacts of COVID-19, regional security and humanitarian aid. It was also noted that all EU parliamentary delegation meetings will continue to be conducted remotely for the time being.

More than 40 heads of national delegations and the elected members of the Bureau met on July 7, 2020 to a Standing Committee meeting. The Standing Committee meets three times a year to guide the work of the Assembly and would have met in Vancouver this week had the 2020 Annual Session not been cancelled due to the pandemic. Dr. Hedy Fry, C.P., M.P., Head of the Canadian OSCE PA Delegation and Special Representative on Gender Issues, noted Canada’s regret that it was not able to host the Annual Session this year. “As the OSCE PA convenes via videoconferencing today, we are reminded that we should have been gathering in Vancouver, Canada for the 2020 Annual Session from July 2 to 7,” Fry said. “The COVID-19 global pandemic has redefined how we, as parliamentarians, interact and communicate. Yet in a way, we have become more connected and our voices more relevant. As we continue to face new challenges and find new opportunities to fulfill the PA’s mission, I truly hope we, Canada, will be able to host a future Annual Session here in Vancouver.”

At this meeting, MP Cheryl Gallant received an update about the situation in Ukraine. A Ukrainian parliamentarian gave an overview of the political and security context in his country. The information session was followed by a question and answer period. The Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine then discussed the advantages for Ukraine under its new status as a NATO “Enhanced Opportunities Partner.” A presentation was also given on reforms in the defence and security sectors during another question and answer period. Lastly, the Director of the NATO Information and Documentation Centre (NIDC) in Ukraine gave participants an overview of misinformation about COVID-19 in Ukraine and public perception of NATO.

Bureau Meeting – July 6 The Bureau is delegated the authority to oversee the implementation of Plenary Assembly decisions. It ensures the implementation of the motions adopted, the resolutions made, and the advice and recommendations issued by the Plenary Assembly, and it can make any decisions it deems useful for that purpose. It considers, on the basis of a report from the General Secretariat, issues involving branch membership and changes to their status, and it adopts the APF’s budget. Francis Drouin, MP, Chair of the Canadian Branch and First Vice-Chair of the APF; Chris d’Entremont, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Branch; and Joël Godin, MP and Chair of the APF’s Parliamentary Affairs Committee, each participated in this meeting by videoconference. Parliamentarians in attendance discussed new requests for APF membership. Branches represented at the meeting gave status updates on the pandemic situation in their nations, with Mr. Drouin giving the update on the situation in Canada, and they also discussed the effects of the pandemic on the general operation of the APF’s International Secretariat. Several reports on activities were presented, and the report on activities for the Parliamentary Secretary General and the cooperation programs were considered. The Treasurer’s report on the 2019 accounts was also discussed. Lastly, the chairs of the committees and networks shared the results of their proceedings: Mr. Godin, the Chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee, gave an update on the work of his committee, including a Canadian initiative under the leadership of Mr. d’Entremont on how parliaments are operating during the pandemic. Lastly, an update was given on the status of the APF’s statute review and the APF’s regional activities.

The AdHoc Committee on Migration held a second meeting as a series in a regular discussion with the European Commission on key issues related to migration and asylum policy. Ms. Paraskevi Michou, Director-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations discussed the current state of affairs followed by a question and answer period with members of the committee. Dr. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., participated in the meeting.

At this meeting, MP Cheryl Gallant joined other members of the Committee in attendance to consider two draft reports. The first was a special report entitled “COVID-19, International Security, and the Importance of NATO’s Science and Technology Network,” and the second was a report of the Sub-Committee on Technology Trends and Security entitled “Urban Warfare.”