NEWS RELEASE

Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association attends the 68th Annual Session of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly and Selected Events

Between 18 and 21 November 2022, Julie Dzerowicz, MP, Chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association and Head of the Delegation, led a delegation to Madrid, Spain to participate in the 68th Annual Session of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Parliamentary Assembly (PA). The other delegates were Cheryl Gallant, MP, Deputy Head of the Delegation, Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, Senator Jane Cordy, Senator Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia, Rachel Blaney, MP, Shelby Kramp-Neuman, MP, Christine Normandin, MP, and Jennifer O’Connell, MP.

Members of the Canadian delegation participated actively in the proceedings of each of the NATO PA’s five committees. They debated and examined several issues, including the current war in Ukraine, cybersecurity, the Indo-Pacific region, migration, the effects of climate change on security, and the need for resilient and secure supply chains. As well, the Canadian delegates provided input and asked questions on the draft reports, which were considered by each committee.

During the plenary sitting of the NATO PA’s 2022 Annual Session, close to 300 legislators from 30 NATO and partner countries adopted the following six resolutions, which provide policy recommendations:

• Strengthening the Cyber Resilience of Allied Societies that, among other matters, draws attention to Allied efforts to prevent, deter and counter cyber-attacks, and calls on NATO countries to implement the Cyber Defence Pledge, the Comprehensive Cyber Defensive Policy and the new Strategic Concept.
• Supporting NATO’s Post-Madrid Summit Deterrence and Defence Initiatives that, among other matters, acknowledges Allied military, economic, political and humanitarian support for Ukraine, and expresses concerns about the re-emergence of Afghanistan as a “haven for terrorism.”
• The Corruption-Security Nexus that, among other matters, characterizes Russia as a kleptocratic state that promotes and fosters corruption abroad and domestically, and urges NATO countries to establish a Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO Headquarters.
• Russia’s War on Ukraine: Economic Consequences and Responses that, among other matters, notes the European Union’s and the Group of Seven’s decision to implement a cap on the price paid for Russian oil, and condemns Russia’s acts of violence and human rights violations in Ukraine, which include attacks on civilians and economic infrastructure.
• NATO Post-Madrid Summit: Fit for Purpose in the New Strategic Era that, among other matters, calls on NATO countries to clearly characterize the current regime in Russia as terrorist; cooperate to establish an international tribunal to prosecute acts of aggression committed by Russia in Ukraine; and “impose [upon Russia] an obligation to make full reparation of damage loss or injury under international compensation mechanism.” As well, this resolution provides a list of security challenges that NATO countries face, including irregular migration and human trafficking, that were added to the list following the adoption of an amendment to the resolution proposed by Canadian delegates.
• Climate Change and International Security – NATO’s Agenda that, among other matters, notes the effects of climate change on the security environment, and welcomes Canada’s decision to host a NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence.

These six resolutions followed two other resolutions adopted in Vilnius in May 2022, entitled Standing with Ukraine and Confronting Russia’s Threat.

Moreover, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, outgoing-NATO PA President Gerald Conolly, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the speakers of both chambers of Spain’s parliament – Senator Ander Gil and Deputy Meritxell Batet – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Ukranian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and the 2022 recipient of the Women For Peace and Security award Olha Stefanishyna addressed the plenary sitting in person or virtually.

At the plenary sitting, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg responded to a number of questions from delegates, including from the Head of the Canadian Delegation. Ms. Dzerowicz commented that Canada was honoured to have hosted Secretary General Stoltenberg in the Canadian Arctic in August 2022 before asking the Secretary General about what are the “next steps for NATO in strengthening Euro-Atlantic security in the Arctic.” Ms. Dzerowicz also asked a question to the Secretary General on his thoughts on “how prepared NATO is to address [the warfare of the 21st century],” which includes cyberattacks, election interference, the dissemination of disinformation and misinformation, and the presence of foreign actors in Canada, the United Kingdom and other NATO countries.

On 18 November 2022, the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association met with Canada’s Ambassador to Spain and Andorra and other members of the Canadian diplomatic corps to discuss bilateral relations, the current political and economic situation in Spain, and shared commitments to transatlantic security. As well, on 20 November 2022, they attended a reception at Spain’s Royal Palace, where the country’s King Felipe VI provided some remarks. King Felipe VI underscored that: “Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine has not only caused the ominous spread of death and destruction throughout its territory, but it has also brought to NATO’s doorstep an extremely serious and unacceptable damage to peace and a rules-based international order.”

At the 68th Annual Session, NATO PA President Conolly concluded two-years in office, and was succeeded by French Senator Joëlle Garriaud-Maylam. Newly elected NATO PA President Garriaud-Maylam spoke at the plenary sitting, stating that Russian leaders “are acting like real terrorists, showing unprecedent barbarism by attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure. We must act, and they must be judged as terrorists in front of international tribunals.”

Ms. Dzerowicz will serve as a NATO PA Vice-President (ex-officio) for the next two years, and was elected as Special Rapporteur for the Democracy and Security Committee, with a focus on Food Insecurity. Senator Boisvenu and Ms Gallant were re-elected as vice-chairs for their respective NATO PA’s committees or subcommittees. Senator Boisvenu will continue to serve as a vice-chair of the Defence and Security Committee’s Sub-Committee on Future Security and Defence Capabilities, while Ms. Gallant will continue in the role of a vice-chair of the Political Committee. Moreover, Senator Cordy was elected a vice-chair of the Committee on Democracy and Security’s Sub-Committee on Resilience and Civil Security.

Finally, Ms. Dzerowicz announced that Canada will host the NATO PA’s 70th Annual Session in Montreal, Quebec, in November 2024. Canada last hosted the Annual Session in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2018.

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For further information:
Julie Dzerowicz, MP
Chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association
+1 416-525-1949

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