Canada-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association (RUUK)

Room 025B, West Block, 7:30 p.m. ET

To be eligible to vote at the AGM, the deadline for membership for this association is 7 days before the meeting.

On 30 October 2024, members of the executive committee of the Canada–United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association hosted a luncheon to bid farewell to Her Excellency Susannah Goshko, British High Commissioner to Canada, prior to her next appointment as British Ambassador to Mexico. James Maloney, Member of Parliament and Chair of the Association, gave remarks in which he thanked Ms. Goshko for her excellent work to foster deep and productive bilateral relations between Canada and the U.K. He expressed gratitude for her frequent and meaningful engagement with the Association, noting that her appointment had come during a particularly busy time for Canada–U.K. relations. A convivial discussion followed, covering topics such as frozen pensions, party dynamics in the U.K., and the upcoming United States election.

On 19 June 2024, Her Excellency Susannah Goshko, British High Commissioner to Canada, hosted a luncheon for the executive members of the Canada–United Kingdom (U.K.) Inter-Parliamentary Association. The conversations centred on the electoral platforms of U.K. political parties in advance of the general election in July 2024. Ms. Goshko and the executive members discussed the parties’ positions on such key issues as trade, migration, environmental protection, energy, defence spending, and the situation of U.K. citizens living in Canada with frozen state pensions.

To be eligible to vote at the AGM the deadline for membership for this association is seven days before the meeting.

On 5 February 2024, members of the Executive Committee of the Canada–United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association hosted a luncheon in honour of the visit of members of the United Kingdom House of Commons Select Procedure Committee. The Procedure Committee is conducting an inquiry on the United Kingdom territorial constitution and is comparing devolution frameworks internationally, including with Canada. Association Chair James Maloney, MP gave opening remarks, and the Chair of the Procedure Committee, the Rt. Hon Karen Bradley MP, responded. Other members of the visiting delegation included Antonia Antoniazzi, MP, Mr. Patrick Grady, MP, Sir Christopher Chope, MP, and Mr. Chris Elmore, MP. What followed was a fruitful discussion about the implications of both countries’ constitutional frameworks on political dynamics, including interjurisdictional cooperation and responses to major events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The parliamentarians also compared their experiences with the restoration and renewal of their respective parliaments.

On 19 September 2023, members of the Canada–United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association (RUUK) Executive Committee met with David Rutley, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Americas and Caribbean) at the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and Her Excellency Susannah Goshko, British High Commissioner to Canada. Both parties highlighted how Canada and the United Kingdom can leverage their close ties and shared values to bring about common policy objectives on the global stage, particularly in the Asia Pacific region and South America. Canadian parliamentarians advanced their positions on beef and pork in light of the ongoing bilateral free trade negotiations. They also raised the issue of frozen pensions and proposed ways to promote greater bilateral cooperation on green energy solutions such as offshore wind power.

On 29 May 2023, the Executive Committee of the Canada–United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association (RUUK) hosted a meeting with the Speaker of the United Kingdom House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, M.P.; Deputy Speaker of the United Kingdom House of Commons, Nigel Evans, M.P.; and British High Commissioner to Canada, Her Excellency Susannah Goshko. James Maloney, M.P., Chair of RUUK, provided opening remarks, to which Speaker Hoyle responded. What followed was a lively discussion about the two countries’ shared commitment to Ukraine’s defence, the use of trade to advance common international objectives, and strategies to protect parliamentarians and their staff.