NEWS RELEASE

Hon. Bob Nault tables in Parliament two reports on behalf of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas

OTTAWA – Thursday, October 18, 2018 – The Hon. Bob Nault, P.C., M.P., Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, tabled two reports on 18 October 2018 in the House of Commons. The first was on a bilateral visit by Canadian parliamentarians to Chile and Uruguay from 11 to 16 March 2018.  The second was on the participation of a Canadian parliamentarian in the 5^th Global Summit of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 17 to 19 July 2018.

“I’m very pleased and proud of the strong participation demonstrated by the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas at these important meetings,” said Nault. “Through ParlAmericas, we continue to build important partnerships and hold discussions on critical issues facing our countries.”

For the visit to Chile and Uruguay, the ParlAmericas delegation was led by Mr. Dan Vandal, M.P.  Accompanying Mr. Vandal were the Hon. Anne Cools, Senator; the Hon. Michael MacDonald, Senator; the Hon. Candice Bergen, M.P.; the Hon. Thomas Mulcair, M.P. and Mr. William Amos, M.P.

In Chile, the delegation met with Indigenous members of the National Congress, the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Chamber of Deputies’ Human Rights Committee.  The delegation’s visit took place shortly after Chile’s new national government took office on 11 March. The delegation also visited a Government of Canada-funded project that increases women’s input in policy-making.  In addition, the delegation met with business leaders and Chilean students who attended post-secondary institutions in Canada. 

In Uruguay, the delegation met with parliamentarians and discussed important hemispheric issues such as the environment, the extractive industry, gender equality and legalized cannabis. The delegation also met with officials from Uruguay’s National Drug Board, which is in charge of overseeing legalized cannabis. They also met with local experts on matters of equity and inclusion, research and development, and trade and investment.

At the OGP Global Summit in Georgia, the Canadian section of ParlAmericas was represented by Mr. Randy Boissonnault, M.P., Vice-President of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network.

This Summit gave leaders from OGP’s 75 participating countries an opportunity to exchange ideas about improving governmental transparency, accountability and responsiveness to citizen needs. Sessions focused on civic engagement, anti-corruption and public service delivery.

Founded 17 years ago in Ottawa, ParlAmericas is the only inter-parliamentary institution with its International Secretariat headquartered in Canada.

Since the beginning, the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas has worked closely with ParlAmericas International to further parliamentary diplomacy and political dialogue across the hemisphere.

Quotes:

• “Chile and Uruguay are longstanding and close hemispheric partners of Canada. Our visit to these countries gave us the chance to deepen our understanding of common challenges and learn from each other, so that we can to build and sustain the relationships that allow us to be better decision-makers on behalf of our citizens.”  Dan Vandal, M.P.

• “Canada’s Parliament has taken significant steps to modernize its practices and open its work to citizens. As Vice-President of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network, I am dedicated to increasing government responsiveness to better meet the changing needs of Canadians. I look forward to collaborating closely with colleagues from member countries of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), as Canada assumes the role as Lead Government Co-Chair of the OGP Steering Committee and will host the next OGP Global Summit in 2019.” Randy Boissonnault, M.P.

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To arrange an interview with the Hon. Robert Nault, please contact:

Julian Morelli
(613) 222-6123
bob.nault.a1@parl.gc.ca

Melissa Dawe
(613) 996-1161
bob.nault.a2@parl.gc.ca