Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association (CAEU)

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.

Mr. Scott Simms, M.P., President, CAEU; the Hon. Percy E. Downe, Senator; the Hon. Larry Bagnell, P.C., M.P.; and Mr. Luc Berthold, 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), and Mr. Ondrej Kovarík (Czechia). The main topics of discussion were the surge or “second wave” of COVID-19 cases and how governments in Europe and Canada are responding; the European Commission’s new proposed Pact on Migration and Asylum; the European Union’s proposed €1.8-trillion seven-year budget and pandemic recovery plan; the recent Speech from the Throne and the State of the European Union address; and the impact on the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement of both Brexit and the Cypriot Parliament’s vote against the Agreement’s ratification. The videoconference call concluded with preliminary discussions about the annual interparliamentary meeting, which has been postponed from November 2020 to the spring of 2021 – at the earliest – as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Honourable Scott Simms P.C., M.P., President, CAEU; the Hon. Percy E. Downe, Senator; the Hon. Peter M. Boehm, Senator; the Hon. David Mark Wells, Senator; the Hon. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P.; and the Hon. Larry Bagnell, P.C., 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. Ondrej Kovarík (Czechia) and Mr. Damian Boeselager (Germany). The main topics of discussion were the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, the ongoing ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) – and its role in a post-pandemic recovery – relations with China (including the detention of Michael Korvig and Michael Spavor), and the recent election of non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council. The meeting concluded with a discussion on topics for discussion at a future meeting. Among the proposed topics were artificial intelligence, migration, the taxation of digital goods and services, the gendered impacts of COVID-19, regional security and humanitarian aid. It was also noted that all EU parliamentary delegation meetings will continue to be conducted remotely for the time being.

The committee held a regular meeting on 4 June 2020 via videoconference. Members reported on the health and socio-economic effects of COVID-19 pandemic in the Arctic, the responses and common challenges of Arctic nations. Common challenges experienced across Arctic nations included: the downturn in tourism upon which a number of Arctic communities depend; COVID-19 border closures affecting the movement of Indigenous peoples living across national borders; measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among seasonal workers arriving in the Arctic to work in fish processing and oil and gas sectors; and the anticipated increased frequency of forest fires in the Arctic over the summer of 2020. Members raised some of the themes related to the drafting of the Conference Statement to be adopted at the next biennial Conference. The Conference, which was originally to be held in Norway in September 2020, is currently postponed to Spring 2021.