Interparliamentary Activities and Reports

On March 24, 2021, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) hosted a virtual event titled “We Have Your Back” - Breaking the cycle from online harassment to threats to violence against women and girl leaders, as a side event to the United Nations’ 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The Government of Canada was one of twelve event co-sponsors. During the discussion, panelists explained how social media platforms and digital spaces are being used to harass women and girl leaders, in some cases starting a cycle of behaviour that escalates to threats and acts of violence.

Presenters emphasized the gendered treatment of parliamentarians and other public figures online, noting that women face a higher degree of personal abuse and aggressive behaviour. As many presenters observed, beyond negatively impacting the lives of those who are targeted, online harassment undermines democracy and limits free speech by discouraging women and girls from being politically active.

The honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, PC, MP participated in a panel of parliamentarians sharing their experiences of, and opinions on, online harassment. In her remarks, Dr. Fry highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the growing trend of gender-based harassment and violence and spoke about the actions Canada is taking to address the issue domestically and internationally. The honourable Donna Dasko, Senator, attended the event on behalf of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU).

The CPA’s international executive committee (EXCO) meets twice a year, in the spring and just before the annual meeting. This year, the spring meeting will be held virtually. The CPA’s constitution authorizes it to control and manage the activities and business of the association. The international executive committee has about 35 members and is led by the chairperson of the CPA. The committee is made up of the officers of the CPA and three representatives from each region (except Africa, which has six representatives given its size).

The Canadian Branch was represented by Ms. Yasmin Ratansi, M.P., Chair of the Canadian Branch. The international executive committee also agreed to postpone the next Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, which will be held in Canada, until August 2022.

The Annual Parliamentary Meeting at the 65th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) took place virtually on March 23, 2021. Co-organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women, it brought together legislators from around the globe, along with representatives of relevant UN organizations and civil society groups, to discuss the theme, “What will it take to reach gender parity in political participation in a post-COVID-19 world?” The Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) was represented by Senator Donna Dasko, Senator Rosa Galvez, Senator Marilou McPhedran, Ms. Iqra Khalid, MP, Ms. Heather McPherson, MP, and Ms. Julie Vignola, MP.

Ms. McPherson was a featured panellist. In her remarks, she noted that Canada has made progress in increasing women’s political participation, particularly in terms of nearly achieving a critical mass of women parliamentarians in the House of Commons (29.5%) and gender parity in the Senate (49.5%). She also highlighted the growing number of women assuming leadership roles in public life, noting the appointment of the first female Minister of Finance as well as the prominent role played by women Chief Public Health Officers in guiding Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She underscored the importance of improving the diversity of women’s representation by increasing the political opportunities and experiences offered to racialized, Indigenous and young women, as well as women with disabilities, especially at the level of political parties. She also emphasized the need for legislation and public policy measures related to financial support, access to child care, and the prevention of online harassment of women in politics to overcome barriers that otherwise discourage women from considering a political career. Ms. McPherson highlighted Canada’s role in supporting women globally through its Feminist International Assistance Policy, but also pointed out that Canadian contributions to development assistance has been in decline.

Senator McPhedran sought out best practices from the event’s participants regarding regulations or legislation in place or under development to address online harassment of women in politics, particularly in light of the impact of these experiences on their families and career choices. Ms. Vignola emphasized the role that education plays in building young girls’ and boys’ skills and self-belief to promote their confidence and interest in political careers.

Interventions from women parliamentarians from the African, Asia-Pacific, Arab, European and Latin American regions highlighted other aspects of the theme. Among other issues, participants reflected on how COVID-19 has undermined progress in women’s political participation and gender equality, as well as how it is driving change by exposing the importance of including women in decision-making positions and pandemic responses measures. Many participants also underscored the importance of data in tracking progress in women’s political participation and referenced the IPU’s annual report, Women in Parliament 2020: The year in review, as well as the map, Women in Politics: 2021, jointly produced by the IPU and UN Women, to document the rankings of countries around the world in this aspect.

The discussions at the Annual Parliamentary Meeting contribute to the deliberations of the CSW65 as well as the decisions of the 142nd Assembly of the IPU (May 2021), which will focus on overcoming the pandemic and ensuring post-COVID recovery. The IPU and UN Women will continue their deliberations in a series of co-organized Strategic Inter-parliamentary Dialogues scheduled to take place virtually on several dates in April on the theme, “Gender-responsive recovery post COVID-19.”

The meeting allowed parliamentary staff of the Americas and the Caribbean to exchange experiences and good practices related to parliamentary openness.

For more information, see the report: Report of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas

On March 22, 2021, two Canadian parliamentarians participated in the 54th meeting of the ParlAmericas Board of Directors:

• The Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of (CPAM) and Treasurer of the ParlAmericas Corporation Board of Directors;

• Marc Serré, MP, Chair of CPAM, Canada’s representative on the ParlAmericas Board of Directors and Chair of the ParlAmericas Corporation Board of Directors.

Marc Serré chaired the portion of the meeting held during the Annual General Assembly of the ParlAmericas Corporation Board of Directors. At the meeting, the 2021 ParlAmericas Corporation Board of Directors slate and the budgets for the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years were adopted. The Board approved ParlAmericas’ annual work plan and discussed the ParlAmericas sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse prevention policy that ParlAmericas is developing. Finally, some participants provided an overview of recent ParlAmericas work-related activities in their countries.

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 Twelve Plus geopolitical group, participated in the fourth online sitting of the 285th session of the International Executive Committee which took place on March 22, 2021. Among other agenda items, members reviewed preparations for the 142nd IPU Assembly taking place virtually in May and made decisions related to the revision of the IPU’s strategy for 2022–2026.

In November 2021, the United Kingdom (UK) will be hosting the 26th United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP26). As such, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK, in partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), hosted the first virtual Commonwealth Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change from March 22–24, 2021. The Forum engaged parliamentarians across the Commonwealth in discussions relating to climate change, such as holding governments to account, setting ambitious climate commitments and complying with international agreements. Delegates were also given the opportunity to network with peers and exchange ideas with experts. A working group was elected during the Forum to take forward the action points discussed by delegates.

The working session provided a space for parliamentarians, parliamentary staff and civil society representatives of the Americas and the Caribbean to discuss the tactics and strategies utilized to distribute disinformation today and provide recommendations for parliamentarians’ consideration in their efforts to combat this phenomenon.

For more information, see the report: Report of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas

Meeting of the Working Group of the Network of Women Parliamentarians – March 19, 2021 The Working Group of the Network of Women Parliamentarians of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) is mandated to develop a policy to prevent and manage harassment within the APF. The Working Group met by videoconference on 19 March 2021. Marie France Lalonde, Member of Parliament, participated in that meeting on behalf of the Canadian Branch of the APF. During that meeting, Claudia Rousseau, Director of Living Together and Harassment Prevention at the National Assembly of Quebec, gave a presentation on the implementation of harassment prevention policies in parliaments and the various components that these policies generally include. The parliamentarians also discussed the definition of what constitutes harassment, the scope of a possible APF harassment prevention policy framework, the importance of prevention and awareness activities and the various existing mechanisms for resolving harassment complaints.

The Honorable Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu and Jane Cordy, Senators, and MP Cheryl Gallant participated in this webinar. Senator Cordy was a moderator for the first panel, on the topic “10 years After the Arab uprisings.” The first session provided an update on the uprisings and identified lessons NATO countries could learn from the situation. Participants heard about the case of Tunisia and the socio-political and economic consequences it is experiencing 10 years later. The second session focused on the current situation and how NATO countries are responding to tension and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa. Both sessions were followed by a question and answer period and participants were able to engage in lively discussions.