Report

Introduction

The Canadian Section of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) was invited to send a parliamentarian to participate in the regional workshop for Central and South American Parliamentarians: “Trade Liberalization: the WTO, the Doha Round and Development Challenges”.  More specifically, the parliamentarian was to speak on the Canadian experience regarding the role that parliamentarians play in setting trade policy and responding to issues related to international trade and investment.  Mr. Mario Silva, M.P., Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of FIPA travelled to San José, Costa Rica on November 7 and 8, 2008 to participate in this event.

REGIONAL WORKSHOP

The workshop was hosted by the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica and co-organized by FIPA and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The purpose of the activity was to increase the knowledge of parliamentarians on the multilateral trade system, the WTO and the negotiations of the Doha Development Agenda. The sessions were delivered by subject matter experts and academics in the area of trade policy and they offered many opportunities for participants to ask questions of the presenters, share their views on trade agreements and discuss their concerns in this area. The workshop was well attended and eleven countries^[1] registered participants.

Topics covered during the workshop included basic principles of the Multilateral Trade System and of the WTO’s Doha Program for Development as well as presentations on trade liberalization and development challenges such as poverty reduction and gender issues (for further details on the workshop agenda see Appendix 1).

Mr. Mario Silva, M.P. participated as a guest speaker to the roundtable on the parliamentary dimension of trade.  His presentation included a brief overview of trade negotiation agreements in Canada. He also spoke on the important role of parliamentarians in trade policy formation and implementation and in engaging citizens to ensure that their needs and preoccupations are addressed.  More specifically, Mr. Silva explained how parliamentarians can be involved in consultations in advance of new policy initiatives, study the impact of existing policies, and act as a voice for their constituents.  He described several mechanisms to that effect such as the work of parliamentary committees, the review of proposed legislation, meetings with various stakeholders and interparliamentary dialogue.  He concluded his remarks by talking about the Canadian experience with trade liberalization in the manufacturing industries.

In addition to delivering his remarks, the Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of FIPA observed the discussions on other topics and attended the reception offered by the Ambassador of Canada to Costa Rica.  These two events provided the Canadian Section of FIPA with an opportunity to promote the interparliamentary Association as a forum for dialogue and learning and to discuss other matters of mutual interest with participants from several countries.

CONCLUSION

Following the visit to Costa Rica, the Canadian Section of FIPA concluded that its participation in activities similar to the one offered in Costa Rica was a productive experience. They provide an excellent opportunity for the Members of the Canadian Section of FIPA to promote the Parliamentary Association and encourage participation of countries in upcoming activities. They were also occasions to make contact with their counterparts in the Parliaments of the other countries of the Americas and to exchange ideas and perspectives on current issues at a multilateral or bilateral level.

The Canadian Section of FIPA would like to thank the Embassy of Canada to Costa Rica for its support during the visit.

Respectfully submitted,