Interparliamentary Activities and Reports

The Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P., President of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) and the Union interparlementaire (UIP) Executive Committee Vice-President for the Twelve Plus geopolitical Group (12+), the Honourable Salma Ataullahjan, Senator and President of the IPU Committee on Middle East Questions and Sven Spengemann, M.P. and member of the Bureau of the IPU Committee on Democracy and Human Rights, participated in a Steering Committee meeting of the 12+ Group on October 26, 2020. The members in attendance reviewed and approved the report of candidacies for the chairmanship of the Group.

The 12+ Group is a collective of 47 IPU member states that caucus together to discuss key issues that will be presented to the Governing Council of the IPU, the Union’s main administrative and policy-making body.

On October 26, 2020, Hon. John McKay, M.P., Chair; the Hon. Leo Housakos, Senator; Mr. Greg Fergus, M.P.; Mr. Matt Jeneroux, M.P.; Ms. Marie-France Lalonde, M.P.; Mr. James Maloney, M.P.; Ms. Christine Normandin, M.P.; and Mr. Francesco Sorbara, M.P. met virtually with Mrs. Janice Charrette, High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. High Commissioner Charrette provided RUUK members with a detailed overview of current issues of importance to the United Kingdom (U.K.) including Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the relationships between Westminster and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Attention was then turned to Canada-U.K. trade and areas of Canada-U.K. cooperation, including international assistance and scientific research. The session concluded with a question and answer period where members further explored these and other issues.

On 20 October 2020, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU )hosted a virtual briefing for parliamentarians on “UN processes: Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1) and the UN definition of poverty.” Presenters included former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Philip Alston, Dr. George Gray Molina from the United Nations Development Programme and Barbara Adams, President of the Global Policy Forum. The panelists presented a critical analysis of how global poverty is being measured by the UN, World Bank and other international policymakers. Discussion also included an evaluation of the state of poverty alleviation around the world, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the steps necessary to make the achievement of SDG 1 – “End poverty in all its forms everywhere” – a reality. The Honourable Kim Pate, Senator, joined the discussion, asking how international poverty reduction efforts can be made relevant to domestic reform initiatives in high-income countries like Canada and whether there were studies which estimated the cost of poverty on economies around the world.

The 12+ Geopolitical Group met to hear from the candidates for the presidency emanating from within its membership and to vote on a consensus candidate. The Hon. Salma Ataullahjan presented her platform and answered questions.

The Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) was represented at this meeting by a delegation composed of the Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P., President of the UIPU and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Executive Committee Vice-President for the 12+ geopolitical Group, the Honourable Salma Ataullahjan, Senator, the Honourable Rob Black, Senator, the Honourable Raymonde Saint-Germain, Senator, Ms. Marilène Gill, M.P., Ms. Iqra Khalid, M.P., Ms. Lindsay Mathyssen, M.P.

The 12+ Group is a collective of 47 IPU member states that caucus together to discuss key issues that will be presented to the Governing Council of the IPU, the Union’s main administrative and policy-making body.