Interparliamentary Activities and Reports

On 10 November 2020, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) hosted a virtual session of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2020 Parliamentary Roundtable, Building trust in a time of COVID-19 response and post-COVID-19 recovery. Mr. Liu Zhenmin, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Mr. Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General, provided opening remarks. Participants included parliamentarians from various IPU member parliaments, including the Parliament of Canada, as well as other stakeholders. They emphasized the opportunities presented by the Internet, as well as the challenges surrounding the spreading misinformation. In this context, the discussion highlighted the importance of inter-parliamentary dialogue and parliamentary leadership in sharing best practices, especially with regard to security and working with industry. Participants agreed that parliaments need to work proactively to rebuild the trust that has been eroded by misinformation. Many discussed the establishment of Internet access as a basic human right in their country, as well as the importance of bridging the digital divide between the technology “haves” and the “have-nots,” including improved digital literacy. The session also took note of the need to reform current Internet governance models and the role of global agreements on data, e-commerce among others in this respect, as well as the importance of increased participation by young parliamentarians in these matters.

The Hon. Peter M. Boehm, Senator; the Hon. Josée Forest-Niesing, Senator; and the Hon. Kim Pate, Senator, participated in a videoconference call with the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Canada (D-CA). D-CA participants included Ms. Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (Chair, France) and Mr. Ondrej Kovarík (Czechia). Dr. Christian Burgsmüller, the European Union’s Deputy Head of Mission in Canada, introduced himself and delivered brief remarks on Canada and the EU’s alignment on a range of economic and foreign policy issues, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposition of sanctions on Belarus. He said the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Strategic Partnership Agreement have provided the bilateral relationship with a solid base. He also highlighted bilateral cooperation in areas including climate change and artificial intelligence – the meeting’s main topics of discussion. Following Dr. Burgsmüller’s remarks, Ms. Jytte Guteland, Rapporteur for EU Climate Law, and Mr. Axel Voss, Rapporteur for the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a Digital Age, addressed the participants on both subjects. Ms. Guteland highlighted the EU’s greenhouse gas emission targets – most notably its goal to be climate neutral by 2050 – as well as its Green Deal plan to transition to a clean, circular economy. Mr. Voss stressed that Canada and the EU share similar values with respect to the development of trustworthy and safe AI and noted that Canada was the first country to launch a national AI strategy. He insisted on the need to strike a balance between privacy and innovation. The meeting concluded with a preliminary discussion about the date for the next meeting. Mr. Kovarík added that, when conditions permit, D-CA would like to like to travel to Canada for the interparliamentary meeting that was supposed to take place in November 2020.

The 206th Session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Governing Council (Extraordinary Virtual Session) took place 1–3 November 2020. The Governing Council is the primary oversight body of the IPU and is made up of representatives from all member parliaments. It has a variety of subsidiary bodies which report to it, including the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, the Committee on Middle East Questions and the Forum of Women Parliamentarians. Decisions of the Governing Council are most often taken by consensus. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions to international travel, the session took place with a reduced agenda, focusing primarily on the election of the President for the 2020-2023 term, the IPU’s budget, decisions of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, and future meetings of the IPU. Over 400 Council members from 144 national parliaments participated, of which 40% were women and 25% young parliamentarians. The Canadian delegation comprised:

• the Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P., President of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) and Vice-President of the IPU Executive Committee for the Twelve Plus Group (official delegate);

• the Honourable Salma Ataullahjan, Senator, Vice-President of the UIPU, Chair of the IPU Committee on Middle East Questions, and Bureau member of the IPU’s Forum of Women Parliamentarians (observer);

• the Honourable Senator Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia, Senator, Member of the Executive of the UIPU (official delegate);

• Ms. Marilène Gill, M.P., Member of the Executive of the UIPU (observer); and

• Ms. Stephanie Kusie, M.P. (official delegate).

The Asia-Pacific Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union met in advance of the 206th virtual session of the Governing Council. The Honourable Salma Ataullahjan, Senator, represented Canada at the meeting.

The agenda included briefings on recent activities by the IPU’s Executive Committee and the ASEAN+3 Group, as well as the IPU presidential election taking place during the Governing Council. Senator Ataullahjan addressed the Group as a candidate for the IPU presidency.

The Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) met in advance of the 206th virtual session of the Governing Council. The Honourable David McGuinty, President of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) and the 12+ Group's IPU Executive Committee Vice-President, attended the meeting.

The members in attendance were given an update on the preparations for the upcoming session of the IPU Governing Council and discussed financial matters and future meetings of the IPU. They also continued discussions on the status of some IPU memberships.

On 30 October 2020, members of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas and of the diplomatic community representing the countries of Latin America held a virtual reception to recognize Latin American Heritage Month and to celebrate the contributions that members of Latin American communities have made to Canada.

Mr. Marc Serré, M.P., Chair of ParlAmericas’ Canadian Section, and Her Excellency Sofia Lastenia Cerrato Rodriguez, Ambassador of Honduras to Canada and Dean of the Latin America Group of Ambassadors, co-hosted the reception. Others attending from the Canadian Section were Senator Rosa Galvez, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section and Vice-President (North America) of ParlAmericas' Parliamentary Network on Climate Change (PNCC), Ms. Julie Dzerowicz, M.P., Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section, Mr. Stéphane Bergeron, M.P., Ms. Stephanie Kusie, M.P., Ms. Soraya Martinez Ferrada and Mr. Robert Oliphant, M.P., all of whom made remarks to the participants.

Representatives of the following countries attended the reception: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.

Mr. Serré outlined some of the activities in which the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas has been involved since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Senator Galvez highlighted that the pandemic has affected people differently, depending on such factors as age, gender and sector of employment. Some foreign participants expressed their gratitude for Canadian parliamentarians’ efforts to support their countries during the pandemic. Others discussed the strong ties between Canada and the countries in the western hemisphere, and said that they look forward to future opportunities to gather and to get to know each other better, ideally in person.

The Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P., President of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU), led a delegation of parliamentarians composed of the Honourable Salma Ataullahjan, Senator, the Honourable Rob Black, Senator, the Honourable Kim Pate, Senator, Hon. Steven Blaney, M.P., Ms. Marilène Gill, M.P., Ms. Lindsay Mathyssen, M.P. and Mr. Sven Spengemann, M.P.

Members heard from the candidates for the chair of the 12+ Group and proceeded to vote in a virtual secret ballot election. Ms. Arda Gerkens from the Netherlands was elected Chair of the Group for a two-year term. The Group also reviewed proposals for future Group activities, examined the financial situation of the Group and discussed matters that will be on the agenda of the upcoming session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Governing Council. During the meeting, the Honourable David McGuinty, who is also the 12+ Group's IPU Executive Committee Vice-President, reported on the proceedings at the Executive Committee.

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.