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Report
Ms. Alexandra Mendès M.P. attended the International Executive Committee (EXCO) meeting of CPA in London, United Kingdom, on behalf of the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and as Vice-Chairperson of EXCO from November 5 to 9, 2018.
The Members of the CPA Executive Committee attending the meeting were:
CPA Officers and Co-ordinating Committee: Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, MP – CPA Chairperson (Cameroon); Rt Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, MP - CPA Vice-President (Uganda); Ms. Alexandra Mendès MP - CPA Vice-Chairperson and Regional Representative for the Canada Region (Canada Federal); CPA Treasurer, Mrs Vicki Dunne, MLA (Australian Capital Territory); CPA Small Branches Chairperson, Hon. Anġlu Farrugia MP (Malta); CWP Chairperson Hon. Dato Dr Noraini Ahmad, MP, Malaysia.
Africa Region: Rt. Hon. Dr Abass Bundu, MP (Sierra Leone), Alternate for Cameroon; Hon. Bernard Songa Sibalatani, MP (Namibia); Hon. Justin Muturi, MP (Kenya) Alternate for Nigeria; Hon. Lazarous Chungu Bwalya, MP (Zambia); Hon. Dr. Makali Mulu, MP (Kenya); Rt Hon. Sephiri Enoch Motanyane, MP (Lesotho).
Asia Region: Hon. Dr Fehmida Mirza, MNA (Pakistan); Hon Dr Lal Chand Ukrani, MPA (Sindh, Pakistan).
Australia Region: Hon. Russell Paul Wortley MLC (South Australia); Hon. John Ajaka, MLC (New South Wales); Hon. Rene Hidding, MP (Tasmania) Alternate for Victoria.
British Islands & Mediterranean Region: Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods, MP (United Kingdom); Hon. Leona Roberts, MLA (Falkland Islands); Hon. Stuart McMillan, MSP (Scotland) Alternate for Northern Ireland.
Canada Region: Hon. Kevin Murphy, MLA (Nova Scotia); Hon. Jackson Lafferty, MLA (Northwest Territories).
Caribbean, Americas & Atlantic Region: Hon. Anthony Michael Perkins, MP (St Kitts and Nevis); Hon. Bridgid Annisette-George, MP (Trinidad and Tobago).
India Region: Shri Premchand Aggarwal, MLA (Uttarakhand); Hon. Speaker Shri Hitendra Goswami, MLA (Assam).
Pacific Region: Mr Clayton Mitchell, MP (New Zealand); Mr Nafoitoa Talaimanu Keti, MP (Samoa); Hon. Simon Pentanu, MP (Bougainville).
South East Asia Region: Hon. Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee, MP (Malaysia); Hon. Datuk Shamsul Iskandar Md. Akin, MP (Malaysia) Alternate for Malaka; Hon. Mr Zainal Sapari, MP (Singapore).
The CPA Executive Committee meetings are an essential aspect of the CPA’s governance and also an opportunity for the CPA’s Members to effect change within the organisation.
Several governance meetings took place, including the Coordinating Committee: Performance and Review Subcommittee; Planning and Review Sub-Committee; and Finance Sub-Committee. The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), Hon. Dr Dato’ Noraini Ahmed, MP (Malaysia) also held a teleconference of the CWP International Steering Committee during the meetings held in London.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Executive Committee Members also heard a presentation by Jacques Chagnon, President of Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) on the structure, constitutional arrangements and programmatic work of the APF. During the week of the CPA Executive Committee, the official launch of the updated CPA Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures was held at the UK Houses of Parliament attended by the CPA Chairperson and Members of the CPA Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee of the CPA has noted with concern the recent political developments in Sri Lanka.
The CPA notes the announcement that Parliament will be reconvened on 14 November and expresses hope that the situation can be resolved at that time. The CPA asserts the importance of upholding the rule of law as well as the essential role of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, as defined in and protected by the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
In making this statement, the CPA refers to the Commonwealth Charter, adopted by all Commonwealth member states in 2012. The Charter states that “governments, political parties and civil society are responsible for upholding and promoting democratic culture and practices.”
The CPA Executive Committee meetings were held in the absence of an annual conference and General Assembly for the CPA in 2018. The next annual conference will be the 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) and General Assembly due to be held in Uganda in September 2019.
During this meeting, the Executive Committee agreed for Canada to host the 65th CPC in January 2021, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Also, the Executive Committee noted that Canada was to confirm the dates for the 2019 mid-year meeting.
Following the CPA Executive Committee, the CPA Treasurer, Mrs Vicki Dunne, MLA (ACT) and Hon. Russell Wortley, MLC (South Australia) joined the CPA Secretary-General at a special Remembrance Assembly at Twickenham Prep School in south London to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War and the contribution of Commonwealth soldiers.
Respectfully submitted,
Yasmin Ratansi, M.P.
Chair of the Canadian Branch of the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)