Report

The Canadian Parliamentary Delegation to the Meeting of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from April 27 to 29, 2014, has the honour to present its report.

Composed of Robert Aubin, Member and Chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee, the delegation was accompanied by François Michaud, Executive Secretary of the Canadian Branch.

The following branches were represented: Belgium / Federation Wallonia-Brussels, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Jura, Laos, Mali, Morocco, Switzerland and Vietnam.

The opening ceremony began with an address by Tran Van Hang, Chair of the National Assembly of Vietnam’s Committee on Foreign Affairs; followed by Uong Chu Luu, Vice-President of the National Assembly of Vietnam; Robert Aubin, Chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the APF; and Pascal Terrasse, Member (France) and Parliamentary General Secretary of the APF.

The members of the Committee present, the Committee unanimously adopted the agenda and the minutes of the last Committee meeting in Abidjan in July 2013.

Mr. Aubin then presented the Chair’s report on the Committee’s activities.

Political party financing

Gérard Bila Segda, Member (Burkina Faso), presented his draft report on political party financing. The report describes the situation in the following 13 countries/states: the Aosta Valley, Burkina Faso, Canada (federal), Chad, Federation Wallonia-Brussels, France, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Quebec, Romania and Switzerland.

Parliamentary approaches to holding governments accountable

N’Guessan Kouame, Member (Ivory Coast), presented his report on the various ways parliamentarians in La Francophonie can hold governments accountable, distinguishing between putting questions to the government and introducing motions of non-confidence. The report then discusses the effectiveness of these approaches.

Parliament and the media

Fahti Derder, National Councillor (Switzerland), presented his report on parliaments, the press, the media and democratization, addressing the role of TV5 as well as the internal communications of parliaments.

Election observation missions

Jean-Claude Maene, Member (Belgium / Federation Wallonia-Brussels), presented a report on election observation missions and how they operate within the OIF. The report also addresses election commissions and institutions responsible for organizing elections.

Parliamentary seminars and training courses

Louis Vlavonou, Member (Benin), presented the follow-up report. He gave a brief background on parliamentary seminars and spoke about the 2013 seminars. The report highlights the importance of interparliamentary cooperation as a specific approach to contribute to strengthening the rule of law and the proper functioning of democratic institutions through the improvement of parliamentary business.

Initiative multilatérale de coopération interparlementaire francophone (IMCIF)

Robert Aubin, Member (Canada) and Chair of the Committee, discussed this initiative, which was presented for the first time to the General Committee in Paris in February 2013. N’Guessan Kouame, Member (Ivory Coast), discussed the results obtained in the National Assembly of Ivory Coast and the remaining challenges. Pascal Terrasse, Member (France) and Parliamentary General Secretary of the APF, reaffirmed the Committee’s role in overseeing cooperation programs.

Noria program

Robert Aubin, Member (Canada) and Chair of the Committee, presented the program and gave a brief background.

The francophone youth parliament (PFJ) and national youth parliaments (PNJs)

Senator Martine Bondo (Gabon) reported on the PFJ and PNJs. The Chair, Mr. Aubin, pointed out that youth are not our future, but rather our present. He hoped that at the next PFJ, youth will be in closer contact with parliamentarians and that spirited debate takes place with parliamentarians on issues related to the business of the APF and the PFJ.

APF Opinion and Strategic Framework

The members of the Committee discussed these two issues that will be on the agenda at the July 2014 plenary in Ottawa.

Presentation by Anissa Barrak

Anissa Barrak, Director of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)’s Asia-Pacific Regional Office, presented the OIF’s priorities in the region, which are the promotion of French and economic cooperation. She said that the OIF considers these two priorities to be very closely linked, since the economy gives new life to French.

Related activity

Robert Aubin, Member (Canada) and Chair of the Committee, led a delegation to meet with Nguyen Thi Doan, Vice-President of Vietnam.

For more information on this meeting, please see: http://www.apf.francophonie.org/spip.php?article443 [in French only].

Thanks to its participation in this meeting, the Canadian Branch achieved its objectives to meet its international commitments, present reports that support the exchange of information, strengthen international ties and defend its interests.

 

Respectfully submitted,