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From January 30 to February 3, the National Assembly of Quebec hosted the APF Bureau meeting, the Conference of Branch Chairs (America Region), the Steering Committee of the Network of Women Parliamentarians, the Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee, and the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CIDEC). The delegation from the Canadian Branch of the APF was made up of the Hon. Andrée Champagne, PC, Senator, Chair of the Canadian Branch and Chair of the Conference of Branch Chairs; the Hon. Rose-Marie Losier-Cool, Senator and Chair of the Network of Women Parliamentarians of the APF; the Hon. Pierre De Bané, PC, Senator, and Chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the APF; Mr. Peter Julian, MP and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Branch; and Mr. Bernard Généreux, MP. The delegation was accompanied by Mr. François Michaud, Executive Branch Secretary. In addition to the Canadian Branch, the following branches of the APF were in attendance: Belgium/ French Community/ Wallonia-Brussels, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Comoro Islands, France, Gabon, Georgia, Hungary, the canton of Jura, Louisiana, Luxembourg, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Romania, Rwanda, Saskatchewan, Senegal, Switzerland, the canton of Vaud, the canton of Valais, Valle d’Aosta, Vanuatu and Vietnam. APF Bureau Mr. Yvon Vallières opened the session by welcoming members and introducing two new members. The Parliamentary General Secretary, Mr. Jacques Legendre, Senator (France), addressed the issue of the Greek parliament’s candidacy, as Greece is a member of the International Organisation for La Francophonie (IOF). The Parliamentary Secretary General then gave his report on activities and answered questions. The Hon. Andrée Champagne opened the debate on voluntary contributions to the APF and the need to create a reserve fund. The idea was well received and will be followed up on at the Kinshasa session. Mr. André Schneider, Deputy (France), presented the report on activities for the Policy Committee, of which he is the Chair. The Chair of the Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee, Mr. Didier Berberat, State Councillor (Switzerland), gave the report on activities for his committee as well. The Hon. Pierre De Bané, Senator (Canada) and Chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee, then presented that committee’s report on activities. The Chair of the Cooperation and Development Committee, Mr. Mahama Sawadogo, member of the National Assembly (Burkina Faso), presented his committee’s report on activities as well. The Chargé de mission for the Americas Region, Mr. Jean-Marc Lalonde, Member of the Legislative Assembly (Ontario), gave a report on activities in the Americas. The Hon. Pierre De Bané presented his slide show on the role of the APF in La Francophonie, which is available online at the following address: http://apf.francophonie.org/spip.php?article1174. The Hon. Rose-Marie Losier-Cool, Senator (Canada) and Chair of the Network of Women Parliamentarians, presented the Network’s report on activities after showing a video about the Network’s seminar in Lomé, Togo, in October 2010. She mentioned that the Network plans to show its support for Congolese women at the Kinshasa session. She also mentioned the scheduling conflict between the Bureau’s socio-cultural day at the annual session and the Network’s meeting. Her comment was well received and will be followed up on. The Hon. Andrée Champagne and the Hon. Pierre De Bané noted the importance of calling for the respect of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The resolutions are available on the APF website: http://apf.francophonie.org/spip.php?article1419. Mr. Didier Berberat, Chair of the Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee, presented the draft resolutions for CIDEC. Mr. Jacques Legendre presented the 37th APF session, to be held in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo) from July 4 to 8, 2011. The Hon. Andrée Champagne broached the subject of resolutions and started a discussion on the need for the APF to have advance notice of these resolutions. Mr. Jacques Legendre then presented the interparliamentary cooperation programs that the APF is involved in, including Noria, cooperation seminars, internships for government employees and the youth program. He also talked about the electoral observation missions in countries trying to overcome a political crisis. The Hon. Andrée Champagne spoke up to highlight the difficulties faced by minority parliaments and suggested that, once all options had been exhausted, it may be worth inviting former parliamentarians to participate in these missions. The Hon. Andrée Champagne raised the subject of questionnaires from Committee Rapporteurs. The Hon. Pierre De Bané raised the need for an audio-visual presentation that would give new members to the APF a better understanding of the Assembly. The Conference of Branch Chairs Mr. Yvon Vallières, President of the National Assembly of Quebec and President of the APF, gave the opening remarks for the Conference of Branch Chairs, which was chaired by the Hon. Andrée Champagne. He noted the importance of the America Region within the APF and thanked the Hon. Andrée Champagne on behalf of the APF as a whole for her involvement in and commitment to the APF. After adopting the agenda, the Conference heard a report from the Chargé de mission for the America, Mr. Jean-Marc Lalonde, MLA (Ontario), on the activities in the America Region from July 2010 to January 2011. The Hon. Andrée Champagne presented a draft report for the Canadian Branch on culture as a vehicle to promote La Francophonie. Mr. Jean-Marc Lalonde, Chair of the Ontario Branch, presented his draft report on the national youth parliament. Mr. Henri-François Gautrin, Vice-Chair of the Quebec Branch, presented a draft report on cooperation as a means for Francophone communities in North America to survive and develop. Mr. Eric LaFleur, Chair of the Louisiana Branch, introduced a draft report. The Hon. Andrée Champagne gave an update on the situation in Haiti and started a discussion on the need for the APF to have funds set aside for special APF activities. The Conference decided on the division of positions of responsibility in the America Region. Steering Committee of the Network of Women Parliamentarians of the APF After adopting the agenda, the Hon. Rose-Marie Losier-Cool, Network Chair, opened the floor to Network business. The Steering Committee viewed a video prepared by the APF Secretariat on the Network’s seminar in Togo in October 2010. The Steering Committee heard the draft report from Ms. Geneviève Colot, Deputy (France), on violence toward women and children. Ms. Amissétou Affo Djobo Oloude, member of the National Assembly (Benin), then gave a follow-up report on refugee women. The Steering Committee talked about what question to ask the General Secretary of the IOF at the 37th annual session of the APF. Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee of the APF Mr. Didier Berberat, State Councillor (Switzerland) and Chair of the Committee, gave his report on activities. Mr. Pierre Curzi, Member of the National Assembly (Quebec) and Committee Rapporteur, followed up on the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The first preparatory debate to CIDEC took place, on the theme “Reasons that States limit the development of cultural policies and programs.” The Hon. Andrée Champagne, Chair of the Canadian Branch, gave a presentation on this issue. The second preparatory debate to CIDEC took place, on the theme “Culture as a vehicle of development.” Mr. Bernard Généreux, Member of Parliament (Canada), gave a presentation on this topic. Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CIDEC) Mr. Yvon Vallières, Speaker of the National Assembly of Quebec and President of the APF, opened the proceedings for CIDEC. Ms. Galia Saouma-Forero, the UNESCO representative from the Division of Cultural Expressions and Creative Industries; Mr. Abdou Diouf, General Secretary of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF); Mr. Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec; and Mr. Régis Labeaume, Mayor of Quebec City, participated in the opening ceremony for the Conference. The conference was attended by the members of the APF and diplomats, as well as representatives from governments, the arts and civil society. Its purpose was to equip parliamentarians from La Francophonie to promote the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which is a legal instrument. Mr. Yvon Vallières, the host of this conference, underlined the role that the members of La Francophonie played in developing and signing the UNESCO convention. The final declaration can be found at the following location: http://apf.francophonie.org/spip.php?article1423.
Respectfully submitted,
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