Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association (CANA)

The Bureau of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is composed of the President, five Vice-Presidents, the Treasurer, and the Secretary General. It meets three times per year prior to the Standing Committee meetings and can hold additional meetings if deemed necessary.

The Bureau’s main function is to ensure the overall guidance and coherence of the Assembly’s policies and activities in the interval between meetings of the Standing Committee; it also acts as the “first responder” when internal or external events require a decision or statement by the Assembly.

The Standing Committee is the Assembly’s governing body. It consists of one member from each member country (normally the Head of delegation). Each delegation can also appoint one non-voting alternate member. However, each country is only given one vote.

The Standing Committee performs a wide range of both political and administrative tasks. It determines the rights and obligations of non-member delegations and evaluates applications for non-member status which, if approved, are forwarded for the consideration of the full Assembly. It coordinates the overall work of the Assembly: it must approve all planned meetings and provides guidance to the committees on the treatment of subjects to avoid duplication and ensure that the overall work of the Assembly is coordinated. The Standing Committee also serves as the Assembly’s finance committee.

In 2001, growing concern about the apparent drift in transatlantic attitudes, perceptions and policies, prompted the Assembly's Standing Committee to instigate a "Parliamentary Transatlantic Forum" to help identify the precise nature of the divergence in transatlantic thinking and to explore ways in which these differences could be redressed. The programme includes discussions with senior US administration figures and academic experts.

During the Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, parliamentarians from NATO member countries and partner nations meet to study draft reports and hear from government representatives, NATO officials, and experts on a wide range of issues concerning the Alliance.

The Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council is composed of two members and two alternates nominated by each of the Assembly’s five Committees plus up to ten members of the Ukrainian Parliament. In general, the Council meets twice each year – once at NATO HQ in Brussels and once in Ukraine and considers matters of common interest to NATO and Ukraine. It provides a parliamentary counterpart to the NATO-Ukraine Commission. The UNIC elections take place in the Committees during Annual Sessions.

To better understand China’s perspective on a range of critical international security issues, a delegation representing nine different NATO member states from the Sub-Committee on Future Security and Defence Capabilities (DSCFC) visited Beijing and Shanghai from 10-14 June.

During the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, parliamentarians from NATO member countries and partner nations met to study draft reports and heard from government representatives, NATO officials, and experts on a wide range of issues concerning the Alliance.

The Standing Committee performs a wide range of both political and administrative tasks. It determines the rights and obligations of nonmember delegations and evaluates applications for non-member status which, if approved, are forwarded for the consideration of the full Assembly. It coordinates the overall work of the Assembly: it must approve all planned meetings and provides guidance to the committees on the treatment of subjects to avoid duplication and ensure that the overall work of the Assembly is coordinated. The Standing Committee also serves as the Assembly’s finance committee

To better understand international security issues in the Pacific, a delegation composed from 18 NATO member States of the Defense and Security Committee (DSC) visited Honolulu, Hawaii (USA) from March 19 to March 21, 2019

The Joint Committee meetings held in Brussels in February each year which bring together the Assembly’s Defence and Security, Economics and Security and Political Committees and the officers from Science and Technology Committee and Civil Dimension of Security Committee. The meetings are for member delegations only and their main purpose is to meet senior NATO officials in an off-the record format. During the February Meetings, the Standing Committee meets with NATO’s North Atlantic Council.

In 2001, growing concern about the apparent drift in transatlantic attitudes, perceptions and policies, prompted the Assembly's Standing Committee to instigate a "Parliamentary Transatlantic Forum" to help identify the precise nature of the divergence in transatlantic thinking and to explore ways in which these differences could be redressed. The programme includes discussions with senior US administration figures and academic experts.