Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association (CAEU)

Mr. Scott Simms, M.P., President, CAEU; the Hon. David Wells, Senator; the Hon. Percy Downe, Senator; the Hon. Larry Bagnell, M.P.; the Hon. James Maloney, M.P.; Mr. Stéphane Bergeron, M.P. and Mr. Don Davies, M.P. , participated, despite connectively issues , in a videoconference call with the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Canada (D-CA). D-CA participants included Ms. Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, (Chair, France), Mr. Javier Moreno Sánchez (Vice-Chair, Spain), Ms. Sandra Kalniete (Latvia) and Mr. Javier Zarzalejos (Spain). Professor Leah West from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and Mr. Lutz Gueller, Head of Strategic Communications for the European External Action Service, were also present. The meeting began with an exchange of views on the cooperation between Canada and the European Union (EU) in addressing foreign interference and disinformation, and how social media can be regulated. Professor West outlined Canadian actions in these areas, while Mr. Gueller described European efforts. On behalf of the Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation, Mr. Zarzalejos (Vice-President) and Ms. Kalniete (Rapporteur) shared some of the early findings of the committee. Other topics of discussion included recent developments in Canada–EU political and economic relations, such as the export of COVID-19 vaccines, the COVAX initiative for global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, and the need for transparent public procurement. Participants also discussed the recent work done by the Joint Committee of the Canada–European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement on March 25, 2021.

Mr. Larry Bagnell, Member of Parliament for Yukon and Mr. Larry Maguire, Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris, Manitoba, represented the Canadian Parliament at the meeting of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (SCPAR) held virtually on February 25, 2021. The meeting featured a report from the Icelandic member on the work of parliamentarians to have the Government of Iceland respond to recommendations included in past conference statements on topics such as health, economic development and digital broadband among others. Members of SCPAR provided updates on the status of COVID-19 cases in circumpolar regions and advances in vaccination distribution. The social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been significant in most countries. A common issue of concern was that border closures in Nordic countries have been problematic as many people work and live in different countries. Further, border closures have hindered the mobility of Sami across their traditional territories. Members from the European Parliament, the Kingdom of Denmark and the Russian Federation provided updates on their strategies for the Arctic. A new study from Greenland highlighted that Greenlanders would like closer collaboration with Iceland, the United States, and Canada. SCPAR members also finalized the themes for the April Conference Statement.

Executive members of the Canadian Parliamentary Association of Canada-Europe (CAEU) joined their counterparts from the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Canada (D-CA) on a videoconference call on January 26, 2021. Mr. Scott Simms, M.P., President, CAEU, the Hon. Peter Boehm, Senator, the Hon. Percy Downe, Senator, the Hon. Larry Bagnell, M.P., the Hon. Michael L. MacDonald, Senator, the Hon. Wayne Easter, M.P., the Hon. John McKay, M.P., and Mr. Stéphane Bergeron, M.P. were joined by Mr. Javier Zarzalejos (Spain), Ms. Danuta Hübner (Poland), Mr. Ondrej Kovarík (Czechia), and Ms. Ruža Tomašic (Croatia). The main items discussed were the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Canada–U.K. Trade Continuity Agreement, and relations with the United States (U.S).

Members of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region met to discuss the content of the Declaration to be adopted at the next Conference, the date of the next committee meeting, and possible formats for the Conference in April.

Mr. Scott Simms, M.P., President, CAEU; the Hon. Peter Boehm, Senator; the Hon. Percy Downe, Senator; the Hon. Larry Bagnell, M.P.; the Hon. Wayne Easter, M.P., Mr. Stéphane Bergeron, M.P. and Ms. Yvonne Jones, M.P., participated in a videoconference call with the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Canada (D-CA). D-CA participants included Ms. Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (Chair, France), Mr. Javier Moreno Sánchez (Vice-Chair, Spain), Mr. Rasmus Andresen (Germany), Ms. Saskia Bricmont (Belgium) and Mr. Ondrej Kovarík (Czechia). The meeting began with a summary of the recent United States (U.S.) presidential election by the Hon. Wayne Easter, M.P., Co-Chair of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. Other topics of discussion included counter-terrorism and the regulation of online platforms, the European Union’s (EU) proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the development of vaccines against COVID-19 and the need for transparent public procurement. Participants also discussed the impact of the U.S. election on Canada and the EU’s bilateral and multilateral relations with that country, notably with respect to trade and climate change. Finally, they also discussed the forthcoming European Digital Services Act and other initiatives to fight terrorism and violent extremism online. It was suggested that the next meeting between the CAEU and D-CA include discussions of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the “Iran nuclear deal”), Brexit and the new trade agreement between the United Kingdom and Canada.

The Hon. Peter M. Boehm, Senator; the Hon. Josée Forest-Niesing, Senator; and the Hon. Kim Pate, Senator, participated in a videoconference call with the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Canada (D-CA). D-CA participants included Ms. Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (Chair, France) and Mr. Ondrej Kovarík (Czechia). Dr. Christian Burgsmüller, the European Union’s Deputy Head of Mission in Canada, introduced himself and delivered brief remarks on Canada and the EU’s alignment on a range of economic and foreign policy issues, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposition of sanctions on Belarus. He said the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Strategic Partnership Agreement have provided the bilateral relationship with a solid base. He also highlighted bilateral cooperation in areas including climate change and artificial intelligence – the meeting’s main topics of discussion. Following Dr. Burgsmüller’s remarks, Ms. Jytte Guteland, Rapporteur for EU Climate Law, and Mr. Axel Voss, Rapporteur for the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a Digital Age, addressed the participants on both subjects. Ms. Guteland highlighted the EU’s greenhouse gas emission targets – most notably its goal to be climate neutral by 2050 – as well as its Green Deal plan to transition to a clean, circular economy. Mr. Voss stressed that Canada and the EU share similar values with respect to the development of trustworthy and safe AI and noted that Canada was the first country to launch a national AI strategy. He insisted on the need to strike a balance between privacy and innovation. The meeting concluded with a preliminary discussion about the date for the next meeting. Mr. Kovarík added that, when conditions permit, D-CA would like to like to travel to Canada for the interparliamentary meeting that was supposed to take place in November 2020.