Interparliamentary Activities and Reports

The 59th Meeting of ParlAmericas’ Board of Directors took place virtually on January 28, 2022. Two Canadian parliamentarians participated:

• Marc G. Serré, M.P., Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas (CPAM), Member of ParlAmericas’ Board of Directors and Chair of the ParlAmericas Corporation; and

• The Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator, Vice-Chair of CPAM, President of ParlAmericas’ Parliamentary Network on Climate Change (PPCC), 2nd Vice-President on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the ParlAmericas Corporation.

Mexican Senator Verónica Camino Farjat, 2nd Vice-President on the Board of Directors and President of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Network for Gender Equality (PNGE), provided opening remarks and an update on ParlAmericas’ December 2021 activities. Members of the Board approved the 2021 audited financial statements and received information from ParlAmericas’ International Secretariat about funding and the upcoming priorities for ParlAmericas’ three thematic networks. Finally, members of the Board discussed details relating to the upcoming 6th Gathering of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network (OPN).

APF Bureau meeting – January 27 to 28, 2022

The Bureau monitors the implementation of decisions made by the Plenary Assembly of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF), for which it exercises delegated authority. It ensures the implementation of the motions passed, the resolutions adopted and the opinions and recommendations issued by the Plenary Assembly. In this respect, it may make any decision it deems useful. It reviews, pursuant to the General Secretariat’s report, issues relating to the admission of sections and to changes in their status. It passes the Assembly’s budget.

Francis Drouin, M.P., Chair of the Canadian Branch and First Vice President of the APF, and Marie France Lalonde and Senator Éric Forest, members of the CAPF executive committee, participated virtually in the hybrid meeting held in Libreville, Gabon.

The APF Bureau heard from Geoffroy Montpetit from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. He discussed the OIF APF partnership and opportunities for cooperation between the two institutions. A number of activity reports were presented, including the activity report of the APF Parliamentary Secretary General. The APF’s cooperation programs were also reviewed. The Treasurer’s report on the draft budget for 2022 was considered, in addition to a review of the political situation in the francophone world and various institutional projects.

The members in attendance also heard the activity reports from the presidents of the APF’s commissions and networks and from its mission leaders.

The Honourable Vernon White, Senator, attended the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council (UNIC) meeting that took place in Brussels, Belgium, on January 24, 2022, via videoconference. During the meeting, Mr. Michal Szczerba from Poland was elected Co-Chair of the Council. Participants were briefed on Ukraine’s political situation and on recent developments in the region and discussed next steps in the political relationship between Ukraine and NATO. The NATO PA members reiterated their commitment to support Ukraine on its path of reform and their firm support for Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity. Members were also briefed on the progress being made regarding the development of the new NATO Strategic Concept and were invited to share their views on what should be included.

To mark the International Day of Education, on January 24, 2022, the International Parliamentary Network for Education organized a parliamentary exchange to raise awareness of the global learning crisis which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the Canadian Branch attended this event: the Honourable Amina Gerba, Senator; Dr. Robert Kitchen, Member of Parliament (M.P.); and the Honourable Mike Lake, M.P. Additionally, Anita Vandenbeld, M.P. chaired the event with Joseph Nhan-O’Reilly, co-founder and executive director of the International Parliamentary Network for Education. Ms. Vandenbeld’s opening remarks noted that Parliamentarians play a vital role in effectively addressing the global learning crisis.

Guest speaker Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, founder and president of Human Capital Africa, discussed the link between the economy and education. Ms. Ezekwesili noted that research has identified ways to address education challenges which include prioritizing foundational learning in areas such as literacy and taking an evidence-based approach to investments and policy decisions.

Parliamentarians also had the opportunity to participate in discussions in breakout rooms. The first breakout room focussed on improving learning outcomes and began with remarks from Robert Jenkins, Global Director of Education for UNICEF. The theme of the second breakout room was “data and evidence for the learning crisis”; Dr. Rukmini Banerji, CEO of the Partham Education Foundation in India provided a brief introduction to the facilitated discussion.

Working meeting with the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie – January 20, 2022

Francis Drouin, MP, Chair of the Canadian Branch and First Vice-President of the APF, met with the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and its Secretary General, Her Excellency Louise Mushikiwabo, to discuss pathways for efficient collaboration as part of his mandate as First Vice-President of the APF.

Mr. Drouin led a delegation of international parliamentarians, who are also senior APF officials, in a discussion on the direction of APF initiatives and the common objectives of the APF and the OIF. Participants also discussed financial management and interparliamentary co-operation programs.

Lastly, it was agreed that these matters would be followed up on in advance of the APF’s annual budget.

On 18 January 2022, the First Meeting among Members of the Executive Committees of ParlAmericas’ Networks occurred virtually. Canadian Senators René Cormier and Rosa Galvez participated.

Members of the three Executive Committees of the ParlAmericas networks for gender equality, climate change and open parliament met to plan future work and inter-network collaboration. Paraguayan Senator Blanca Ovelar, President of ParlAmericas, provided opening remarks, followed by the presidents of the three networks, who presented their respective networks’ priorities. Senator Galvez, who is President of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Network on Climate Change (PNCC), as well as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas (CPAM), second Vice-President of ParlAmericas’ Board of Directors and Treasurer of the ParlAmericas Corporation, outlined the priorities for the Parliamentary Network on Climate Change. These priorities included addressing challenges related to water resources, deforestation, and the melting of the cryosphere. She also spoke about the value of collaborating and of finding synergies across the three thematic areas. The discussions continued with members discussing ways in which the networks could continue to strengthen collaboration with one another.