Canadian Section of ParlAmericas (CPAM)

On March 22, 2021, two Canadian parliamentarians participated in the 54th meeting of the ParlAmericas Board of Directors:

• The Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of (CPAM) and Treasurer of the ParlAmericas Corporation Board of Directors;

• Marc Serré, MP, Chair of CPAM, Canada’s representative on the ParlAmericas Board of Directors and Chair of the ParlAmericas Corporation Board of Directors.

Marc Serré chaired the portion of the meeting held during the Annual General Assembly of the ParlAmericas Corporation Board of Directors. At the meeting, the 2021 ParlAmericas Corporation Board of Directors slate and the budgets for the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years were adopted. The Board approved ParlAmericas’ annual work plan and discussed the ParlAmericas sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse prevention policy that ParlAmericas is developing. Finally, some participants provided an overview of recent ParlAmericas work-related activities in their countries.

The working session provided a space for parliamentarians, parliamentary staff and civil society representatives of the Americas and the Caribbean to discuss the tactics and strategies utilized to distribute disinformation today and provide recommendations for parliamentarians’ consideration in their efforts to combat this phenomenon.

For more information, see the report: Report of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas

The working session provided a space for parliamentarians, parliamentary staff and civil society representatives of the Americas and the Caribbean to discuss the tactics and strategies utilized to distribute disinformation today and provide recommendations for parliamentarians’ consideration in their efforts to combat this phenomenon.

The Sub-Committee on Open Parliament held its third virtual meeting and discussed the development of a Canadian Open Parliament Action Plan.

The Sub-committee on Open Parliament held its second virtual meeting and discussed its objectives and activities.

On January 29, 2021, three Canadian parliamentarians attended the 53rd Meeting of the Board of Directors of ParlAmericas:

• The Honourable Senator Rosa Galvez, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas (CPAM) and Treasurer of the Board of ParlAmericas Corporation;

• Marc Serré, Member of Parliament, Chair of CPAM, Canada’s representative on the ParlAmericas Board of Directors and Chair of the Board of ParlAmericas Corporation; and

• Randy Hoback, Member of Parliament, Member of CPAM and Member of the Board of ParlAmericas Corporation.

At this meeting, Mr. Serré led the discussion regarding the decisions to be made by the ParlAmericas Corporation Board. During this discussion, Senator Galvez presented the 2020 ParlAmericas audited Financial Statements, which were approved.

The 53rd Meeting of the Board of Directors enabled members to approve the calendar of activities for 2021 and to discuss the events to be organized for ParlAmericas’ 20th anniversary. The meeting concluded with an exchange of information on recent initiatives related to ParlAmericas’ work spearheaded by various parliaments or legislators in their respective countries. In this regard, Senator Galvez and Mr. Serré presented the activities of CPAM’s Sub-committee on Open Parliament.

The Sub-committee on Open Parliament held a virtual meeting to establish its Executive Committee and discussed its objectives and activities.

Circular Economy – Sustainable approaches to build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic

The 17th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas provided an opportunity to share on the different measures that parliaments have taken or can take to implement sustainable and equitable production systems, considering the forthcoming economic packages for the reconstruction of our economies post COVID-19 pandemic, and to progressively meet the 2030 sustainable development agenda. The working sessions on November 16, 2020 (English and French) and November 20 (Spanish and Portuguese) facilitated an exchange of good parliamentary practices for the implementation of this agenda in the parliaments of the hemisphere. Each country delegation presented a statement related to the event theme at the plenary session of November 27, 2020. The plenary assembly concluded with the reading of the final declaration and the Board of Directors elections.

For more information, see the report: Report of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas

ParlAmericas is run by parliamentarians for parliamentarians, with a Board of Directors composed of 21 legislators, representing 17 countries from North, South, Central America and the Caribbean. The Board, elected by the Plenary Assembly, provides governance direction for the organization and sets out the organization’s strategy. The Board of Directors is headed by the Chair, who is elected every two years and supported by a technical secretariat, located in Ottawa. Canadian MP Marc G. Serré is Canada's representative on the Board of Directors.

The 52nd meeting of the ParlAmericas Board of Directors provided an opportunity for Board members to receive an update on upcoming activities in 2020-2021 and the financial situation of the organization. In addition, Board Members considered the draft declaration on the circular economy that was submitted to representatives of ParlAmericas member countries registered at the closing session of the 17th Plenary Assembly on November 27, 2020. The Board also considered nominations received to fill the vacancies on the Board.

Circular Economy – Sustainable approaches to build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic

The 17th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas provided an opportunity to share on the different measures that parliaments have taken or can take to implement sustainable and equitable production systems, considering the forthcoming economic packages for the reconstruction of our economies post COVID-19 pandemic, and to progressively meet the 2030 sustainable development agenda. The working sessions on November 16, 2020 (English and French) and November 20 (Spanish and Portuguese) facilitated an exchange of good parliamentary practices for the implementation of this agenda in the parliaments of the hemisphere. Each country delegation presented a statement related to the event theme at the plenary session of November 27, 2020. The plenary assembly concluded with the reading of the final declaration and the Board of Directors elections.