Report

The parliamentary delegation of the Canadian Branch that attended the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) Bureau meeting in Paris, France, from January 31 to February 2, 2018, has the honour to present its report.

The members of the Canadian delegation were Mr. Darrell Samson, MP and Chair of the Canadian Branch; and Mr. Robert Aubin, MP and Chair of the APF’s Parliamentary Affairs Committee. The delegation was accompanied by Mr. Jean-François Lafleur, Branch Secretary.

The following branches also participated: Belgium/Francophone Community/Wallonia-Brussels, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, France, Jura, Laos, Madagascar, Mali, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Senegal, Switzerland, and Togo.

Bureau business

Opening remarks were made by Mr. François de Rugy, the President of the National Assembly of France; Mr. Jacques Krabal, the APF Parliamentary Secretary General; and Mr. Jacques Chagnon, President of the APF and President of the National Assembly of Quebec.

Agenda

Address by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) Administrator.

After adopting the agenda and the minutes of the Bureau meeting of July 7, 2017, the delegates heard from Mr. Adama Ouane, the OIF Administrator.

In his speech, he reminded delegates that it was important for the APF and the OIF to collaborate. He highlighted certain APF priorities, including the economy, digital technologies, youth and promoting the French language.

During a discussion with the Parliamentary Secretary General, Mr. Jacques Krabal, where he asked him about strategies to increase the visibility of the APF, Mr. Ouane proposed that APF representatives reach out to all of La Francophonie and also ensure that APF roles and mandates are distributed evenly. He further emphasized the active roles the APF takes, such as supporting the oversight centres for member countries in crisis.

He also gave an overview of the financial support the OIF provides to the APF.

In addition, the OIF Administrator addressed the APF’s election missions, which are increasingly becoming intervention missions ahead of time. Mr. Robert Aubin was an active participant in the discussion.

Bureau and APF membership

The Bureau maintained its suspension of Burundi but suggested considering the option of removing the restriction so that it could benefit from the cooperation programs. The President welcomed new members to the Bureau: the Nova Scotia Branch, the new Chair of the Political Committee and the new Chargé de mission for Africa. 

The President of the APF, Mr. Jacques Chagnon, also formally introduced the new Parliamentary Secretary General, Mr. Jacques Krabal, and informed the Bureau that New Caledonia would like to participate in APF business as a member, and he recommended that its membership be approved. A recommendation was also made to grant Kosovo observer status. Lastly, the Saskatchewan Branch requested that its membership status be downgraded to observer. The various recommendations would be submitted at the plenary meeting in Quebec City in July 2018.

Parliamentary Secretary General’s activity report

The new Parliamentary Secretary General, Mr. Jacques Krabal, greeted the delegates and thanked the Bureau for placing its trust in him. He went over the various changes within the APF administration, including the arrival of a new Administrative Secretary General. He spoke about the 43^rd annual session of the APF and the work accomplished by the various committees and networks. Mr. Krabal also touched on the meetings held by the various regional assemblies the previous summer.

The Parliamentary Secretary General spoke to Bureau members about the importance of the APF building relationships with other stakeholders in La Francophonie, and he also mentioned the various international meetings the APF participated in recently.

He addressed the situation in some APF member countries and the status of some within the organization; he also spoke about the various APF parliamentary cooperation programs. In addition, he mentioned the importance of further assessing the cooperation programs between the APF and its various partners.

Institutional activities

The programming was adopted as presented.

Interparliamentary cooperation programs

The Bureau adopted in principle the APF’s parliamentary cooperation program for 2018.

Specifically, it was decided to award bursaries for an internship organized by the French parliament and the ÉNA; for an internship with the APF Secretary General; to support the  Quebec National Assembly’s Programme international de formation parlementaire; to establish training programs on parliamentary diplomacy; to hold seminars to strengthen parliamentary capacity as part of the Noria program, as well as a series of other activities, including the creation of the young parliamentarians network of the APF.

Treasurer’s report

The treasurer said that the APF was in a good financial position for the year ending on December 31, 2017. The Bureau also adopted the APF budget for the year 2018.  In the 2018 budget, the APF allocated funds to support parliamentary cooperation and supporting the French language. The Bureau decided to clear overdue membership fees prior to 2013.

Adoption of various committee and network reports

All the reports from the Committees and the Network of Women Parliamentarians were adopted unanimously. Every group also gave an overview of its upcoming activities. Mr. Robert Aubin, MP (Canada), the Chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee, gave an update on the Committee’s business and emphasized the importance of assessing one of the APF’s cooperation programs: the Noria program. Mr. Darrell Samson, MP (Canada), took the opportunity to highlight the importance of following up on resolutions made within Committees and Networks. The reports from regional chargés de mission were also adopted.

Review of the political situation in francophone countries 

The President of the APF, Mr. Jacques Chagnon, presented his report on the information and contact mission in Burundi, which looked at the possibility of proposing that the restriction keeping Burundi from accessing APF cooperation programs be lifted at the next Political Committee meeting in March 2018 in Erevan. A formal proposal would then be made at the annual general meeting in Quebec City in July 2018.

Further to various discussions on the political situation in francophone countries, it was decided to maintain the suspension of the Syrian Arab Republic and to keep Burundi under observation.

Lastly, Mr. Christophe-André Frassa, Senator (France) and the Chair of the APF Political Committee, led a discussion on the situations in Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Catalonia, the Central African Republic, Egypt, Gabon, Haiti, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Niger, the Republic of the Congo and Togo.

44^th Annual Session of the APF (Quebec City)

A presentation was given by the President of the APF on the agenda for the annual session (July 6 to 10) on the theme of good practices for parliaments in a digital world.

The President reminded delegates that the leadership workshop for women parliamentarians would be held at the same time as the annual session. In addition, the 34^th regional assembly of the Americas would be held immediately following the annual session.

Honours awarded by the APF

The various branches’ suggestions for the Ordre de la Pléiade and the Geoffrey-Dieudonné award were accepted as presented. Mr. Didier Berberat, Senator (Switzerland), invited members of the Bureau to identify candidates in their branches for the Senghor Césaire award.

Draft calendar of events for 2018

The draft calendar was adopted.

Communication

The Parliamentary Secretary General spoke to the Bureau again about the updated versions of the Facebook page and Twitter feed for the APF and the Francophone Youth Parliament (FYP). He also discussed the APF parliamentary francophonie letter.

Relations with the Association des secrétaires généraux des Parlements francophones 

The report of the President of the Association des secrétaires généraux des Parlements francophones, Ms. Marie-Joséphine Diallo, was adopted without further comments.

Other business

The matter of the 17^th Summit of La Francophonie, which would be held in Erevan, Armenia, in October 2018 on the theme of living together, was raised. In addition, a questionnaire to collect the opinions of all APF branches on various subjects involving La Francophonie would be sent out. These opinions would be used to help the APF shape its position, which it will present at the Summit.

The first vice-president of the APF, Mr. Guillaume Soro, introduced the new Institut africain d’administration parlementaire.

Mr. Haroun Kabadi, President of the National Assembly of Chad, and Mr. Hilarion Etong, first vice-president of the National Assembly of Cameroon, spoke about the political and economic situation in their respective countries.

Date and location of the next meeting

The Bureau shared the locations of the upcoming Bureau and APF general meetings.

Respectfully submitted,

Mr. Darrell Samson, M.P., Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF)