The parliamentary delegation of the Canadian
Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF), which
participated in the meeting of the APF Political Committee held in Libreville,
Gabon, on April 15 and 16, 2014, is honoured to present its report.
The delegation was made up of Robert Goguen,
MP, and was accompanied by François Michaud, Association Secretary.
The following branches were represented at this
meeting: Aosta Valley, Belgium/ Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Burkina Faso, Cambodia,
Chad, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Gabon, Haiti,
Jura, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Switzerland.
Guy Nzouba-Ndama, President
of the National Assembly of Gabon, delivered an opening statement at the start
of the meeting of the Political Committee.
Senator Michèle André (France), Chair of
the Political Committee, commenced the meeting.
Following the adoption of the agenda and the
minutes of the July 2013 meeting in Abidjan, proceedings began with a round
table during which parliamentarians gave a brief presentation on the political
situation in their country. Robert Goguen (Canada), Committee
Rapporteur, gave an overview of Canada’s political situation, the government’s legislative
and budgetary initiatives, recent Supreme Court rulings and the results of the
provincial election in Quebec.
Michel Mboumi
(Gabon) presented his report on the political situation in various Francophone
countries. Following discussion, the Committee adopted a statement on the
political situation in Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, the Syrian Arab Republic, the
Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The
Committee members voted in favour of lifting the suspension measures imposed on
Guinea, Madagascar and Mali, in light of the progress observed in these
countries in recent months.
Robert Goguen
(Canada) proposed the following sentence be added to the statement on the
Syrian Arab Republic:
“CALLS ON Syrian authorities to intensify efforts
and immediately comply with commitments to the OPCW-UN mission to put an end to
Syria’s chemical weapons program.”
This amendment was unanimously approved.
The statement is available at http://www.apf.francophonie.org/docrestreint.api/6032/ad7f3951bc212d48848a9c33612a296f83f
6cc04/pdf/2014_04_commpoli_declaration_situations.pdf (in French only).
Léon Walry (Belgium/ Wallonia-Brussels Federation) presented his report on the
social networks and their impact on citizenship, democracy and politics.
Robert Goguen presented his report on the strategy for a digital
Francophonie. The report addressed a number of issues pertaining to the
existence or development of an effective legislative and regulatory framework
for the digital strategy. This intervention takes place on two levels: the
strategy for a digital Francophonie at the international level and digital
strategies at the national level. Building on the strategy for a digital
Francophonie, it is important for individual states to draft their own digital
strategy and harmonize it as much as possible with those of its regional
partners.
This topic comes in the wake
of the decisions made by the heads of state and government who attended the
14th Summit of La Francophonie. They adopted the new strategy for a digital
Francophonie and asked the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie,
operators and the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie to
implement it. They called for increased efforts to accelerate the integration
of French-speaking countries in the global digital economy. They also agreed to
participate in the international open government movement and to promote access
to digital technologies for all citizens—men and women alike. Lastly, in the
context of protecting human rights and the role of the Internet as a
promotional tool, the heads of state and government also called for the
adoption of global standards and national laws defining the principles for the
effective protection of personal data.
The Committee discussed topics for the APF opinion
to be presented to heads of state and government at the 15th Summit of La
Francophonie to be held in Dakar, Senegal in November 2014. The Committee
also discussed the APF by‑laws and the Parliamentary Secretary General’s
proposal for a strategic framework.
By participating in these
meetings, the Canadian Branch achieved its objectives of meeting its
international obligations, presenting a draft report that promotes the exchange
of information, maintaining international connections and defending its
interests, among others by proposing valid amendments.
Respectfully submitted,
The Hon. Paul E. McIntyre, Senator
President of the Assemblée parlementaire
de la Francophonie (APF)