Interparliamentary Activities and Reports

During this joint session, members of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas and the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) heard from officials from Global Affairs Canada and experts about the relationship between Canada and the challenges Venezuela is facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On June 22th 2020, eight parliamentarians from the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas and the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union attended an online briefing that the two associations co-hosted on the topic of the economic, political and humanitarian situation in Venezuela.

During the first panel, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) officials highlighted – among other topics – that the humanitarian situation in Venezuela was worsening and that, by June 2020, more than 5 million Venezuelans had left their home country and 7 million people within Venezuela needed humanitarian aid. They also noted the Government of Canada’s continued engagement with partners in Venezuela and internationally to find solutions to the situation in Venezuela, and the Government’s contribution of $27 million for humanitarian aid to support Venezuelan refugees and migrants.

During the second panel, Eduardo Stein – Joint Special Representative for Venezuelan refugees and migrants with the International Organization for Migration and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – mentioned that, of the 5.1 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants, 4.3 million are hosted in Latin American countries. According to him, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Venezuelan refugees and migrants have been highly vulnerable to discrimination and violence, and – as of June 2020 – about 70,000 Venezuelan refugees and migrants had returned to their home country. Ben Rowswell – President of the Canadian International Council and former Canadian Ambassador to Venezuela – stated that, although addressing the humanitarian situation is currently the most important issue in Venezuela, the international community must continue to request free and fair elections in that country in 2020.

Senators Jane Cordy and Mohamed Iqbal Ravalia and MPs Cheryl Gallant, Darren Fisher and Jack Harris attended the third webinar organized by the NATO PA since the start of the pandemic. This event was held just days after the OECD released its economic data. At the meeting, Alvaro Santos Pereira, Director of the Country Studies Branch of the OECD’s Economics Department, went over some of these important data and provided members with an assessment of the global economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as forecasts for the coming year. His presentation was followed by a question and answer period, which allowed delegates to participate in the conversation and receive additional information about some of these issues.

The Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P., president of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Executive Committee Vice-President for the 12+ geopolitical group, participated in the second part of the Extraordinary Session of the International Executive Committee by videoconference on June 18, 2020. During this meeting, the members discussed financial matters and were updated on the status of future IPU meetings. One more meeting will be required to complete the agenda. The Executive Committee oversees the administration of the IPU and makes recommendations to the IPU Governing Council on various matters.

Mr. Marc Serré, M.P., Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas and the Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator, participated in the 50th Board of Director’s Meeting of ParlAmericas by videoconference on June 16, 2020. During this meeting, Members discussed financial matters and were updated on the status of future ParlAmericas’ meetings in the context of COVID-19. Mr. Marc Serré is Canada’s representative on the Board. ParlAmericas is run by parliamentarians for parliamentarians, with a Board of Directors composed of 21 seats which currently represent 17 countries from North, South, Central America and the Caribbean.

On June 15, 2020, Dr. Hedy Fry, M.P., hosted a web dialogue in her capacity as Special Representative on Gender Issues to the OSCE PA entitled: "Gendered Impacts of COVID-19". Dr. Fry opened the discussion by highlighting the exacerbation of gender-related vulnerabilities as a result of the pandemic, and called for upscaling efforts in advancing the gender agenda. Following her remarks, the PA’s President Mr. George Tsereteli and SG Roberto Montella emphasized on the importance the OSCE PA attaches to mainstreaming gender-related policies and highlighted the Secretariat’s efforts in advancing equal representation among staff and members’ activities. Many Canadian delegates also participated in this event including Senators Patricia Bovey, René Cormier, Josée Forest-Niesing and Rosa Galvez.

The Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P., president of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Executive Committee Vice-President for the 12+ geopolitical group, participated in an Extraordinary Session of the International Executive Committee by videoconference on June 11, 2020. During this meeting, vacancies were filled and members discussed many issues including cooperation with the UN and future IPU meetings. Further meetings will be required to complete the agenda. The Executive Committee oversees the administration of the IPU and makes recommendations to the IPU Governing Council on various matters, including applications by national parliaments or regional parliamentary assemblies wishing to join the Union.

On June 11th 2020, seven Canadian parliamentarians participated in a virtual meeting entitled “Sustainable Responses for a Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery” where four panellists spoke on how public policy and legislation could promote sustainable and inclusive post-pandemic economic recovery, particularly in the Caribbean region:

• Irwin LaRocque, Secretary General of the Caribbean Community, said that the response to the pandemic must take into account the effects of hurricane season in Caribbean countries.

• Diane Quarless, Director of the Economic Commission for the Latin American and Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, highlighted the economic impact of the pandemic in the Caribbean, particularly on the tourism industry, which is an important source of income for many countries in the region. She also explained that the heavy indebtedness of Caribbean states, as well as their difficulty in obtaining official development assistance, foreign direct investment or concessional lending, limits the financial resources available to these countries to respond to the crisis caused by the pandemic.

• Monika Queisser, Head of the Social Policy Division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, gave a global overview of the economic impact of COVID-19. She also shared data showing that more women than men have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

• Therese Turner-Jones, General Manager of the Country Department Caribbean Group of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), explained that the pandemic has had a significant impact on the lives of women in the Caribbean and that women must be part of the discussions and decisions involving the response to the pandemic.

During the question period, the Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, stressed that the way to measure economic recovery should not be based solely on GDP.