Interparliamentary Activities and Reports

On November 8, 2021, a delegation from the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) comprising Senator Rob Black, Senator Amina Gerba and Senator Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia attended the webinar, “Trade and Health: Parliamentary Perspectives on MC12” as part of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization (WTO). Jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the European Parliament, the event was planned to coincide with the Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference scheduled to take place at the end of November 2021. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the WTO, delivered the keynote address to participants. She emphasized that the post-pandemic potential for higher levels of global trade and more even distribution of economic growth is directly linked to achieving equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries. In this respect, she called for parliamentarians to support measures that improve links in the vaccine supply chain, encourage vaccine manufacturing in developing countries, and address intellectual property concerns. Mr. David Walker, Facilitator on the WTO response to the COVID-19 pandemic, also addressed the webinar participants. He noted that the WTO can play an important role in global efforts to address issues in trade and health in light of its comparative advantage and focus on promoting trade among its 164 member states.

Throughout November and December 2021, members of the Canada-China Legislative Association and Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group participated virtually in the 29th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), hosted by the National Assembly of South Korea. At this meeting, parliamentarians from across the wider Asia-Pacific region discussed regional, political, economic and environmental issues, as well as the situation of women. The Canadian delegation submitted two resolutions – one on the digital economy and one on women, peace and security – both of which were reflected in the APPF’s final communiqué. Canadian parliamentarians participated in the working group meetings between 8 and 19 November, as well as the plenary sessions and meetings of the drafting committee from 13 to 15 December. The Parliament of Canada is a member of the APPF’s executive committee, and Canadian parliamentarians also participated in the meeting of that committee on 10 November 2021. Following this meeting, Canada’s term on the executive committee, as a representative of the Americas sub-region of the APPF, was renewed for another four years. Senator Kutcher served as head of delegation; the other parliamentarians who participated were Senator McPhedran, Senator Oh, Senator Ringuette and Senator Woo.

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 Twelve Plus geopolitical group, participated in the second online sitting of the 286th session of the International Executive Committee which took place on November 2, 2021. The meeting provided the members with an opportunity to share their views about the IPU’s draft strategy for 2022–2026.

On 13 and 14 October 2021, the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF), represented by Marie-France Lalonde, Member of Parliament, participated in “Le parlementarisme féminin en France et au Québec : où en sommes-nous?”, a symposium about women in parliament in France and Quebec hosted by the Commission de la mémoire franco-québécoise.

The symposium was chaired by Pauline Marois, who was the Premier of Quebec from 2012 to 2014. This event provided a historical overview of women’s right to vote and a look at the representation of women in Quebec’s National Assembly, the French Senate and France’s National Assembly. Speakers also addressed topics such as the under-representation of women in electoral politics in both France and Quebec and the importance of gender parity within parliaments.

The Plenary Assembly of the Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) delegates authority to the Bureau to oversee the execution of its decisions. The Bureau is responsible for implementing the Plenary Assembly’s motions, resolutions, opinions and recommendations and may make any decision that will be helpful in that regard. Based on reports from the Secretariat General, it considers issues concerning the admission of branches and changes to their status, and it adopts the APF’s budget.

Francis Drouin, MP, Chair of the Canadian Branch and First Vice President of the APF; Chris d’Entremont, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Branch; and Joël Godin, MP and Chair of the APF Parliamentary Affairs Committee, attended the meeting virtually. Mr. Drouin also chaired the meeting.

Several activity reports were tabled, including the activity report from the APF Parliamentary Secretary General, and the cooperation programs were reviewed. The Treasurer’s report on the accounts for 2020 was also considered, along with the review of the political situation throughout the Francophony.

Joël Godin, Chair of the APF Parliamentary Affairs Committee, spoke about the order of priority for certain APF projects and its budgetary management. Francis Drouin presented a proposed partnership with the Réseau francophone d’éthique et de déontologie parlementaires, as well as the recipient of the Geoffrey Dieudonné award.

Lastly, the chairs of the various committees and networks presented the results of their deliberations. Heads of mission of the various APF regions also provided an update on their respective activities.

The Honourable Éric Forest, Senator, participated in the meeting of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie’s (APF) Cooperation and Development Committee by videoconference on 6 October 2021. Senator Forest proposed that a new project be developed on the impact of climate change on island, coastal and waterfront territories in francophone areas. The Committee approved this proposal.

The Committee also discussed the economic situation in La Francophonie. Senator Forest pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate economic impact on some population groups in Canada, such as women. The Committee also adopted a resolution on rural land use and vitality, and it discussed matters involving climate change and sustainable development in the context of COVID-19, as well as international trade negotiations carried out within the framework of the World Trade Organization.

On September 13, 22 and October 4, 2021, a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians participated in the 13th Gathering of the ParlAmericas Network on Gender Equality (PNGE). The three online events were conducted in ParlAmericas’ official languages: English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. The 13th Gathering of the PNGE explored the ways in which strengthening social supports and services can contribute to addressing the root causes of gender inequality and other forms of social vulnerability, building on conversations spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic on enhancing social protection systems. The question of data was a crosscutting focus of the Gathering, with particular attention to the availability and use of disaggregated data to address the differentiated needs of women and vulnerable groups during the pandemic. The Gathering provided spaces for knowledge-sharing on good practices for more systematic collection of disaggregated data with a view to preventing the gaps in social protection during future crises and to ensuring an overall strengthening of the social safety net. The Honourable Mobina S. B. Jaffer, Senator, was elected as Vice-President (North America) on the Executive Committee of the PNGE.

For more information, see the report: Report of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas

From September 28 to 30, 2021, the Hon. Marilou McPhedran and the Hon. Kim Pate, Senators and members of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU), attended the First Global Parliamentary Meeting on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During this event jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Indonesian House of Representatives, participants had the opportunity to discuss the role of parliamentarians in ensuring the realization of the SDGs by 2030. Several issues were addressed, including climate change, a fair and inclusive recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic, a fair and equal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally, international cooperation, the needs of vulnerable populations, global inequalities, and universal health coverage.

Senator McPhedran spoke about how the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced our chances of achieving the SDGs on schedule. She explained that missing these targets will cost us more over the long-term; as such, she argued, the world must invest in sustainable development today. She noted that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is warning that financing for sustainable development is at risk of collapsing. Senator McPhedran highlighted that Canada is pursuing innovation in social finance by mobilizing private capital for the public good to enhance its progress on the SDGs.

An outcome document summarizing the meeting is available on the IPU’s website