Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CCOM)

In order to be eligible to vote, parliamentarians should be members of the association at least seven days prior to the AGM.

The Canadian Regional Seminar of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), held since 1973, brought together delegates from the federal, provincial, and territorial CPA branches for annual training and exchanges related to their work as legislators. The theme of the 43^rd seminar was: Representative Government: Cultivating Inclusive Parliaments.

The Canadian Branch was represented by Ms. Iqra Khalid, M.P., Vice-Chair of the Branch, the Honourable Amina Gerba, Senator, and Mr. Jasraj Singh Hallan, M.P.

Canada as a whole makes up one of the regions of the CPA, and its 14 branches correspond to the provincial and territorial legislative assemblies and the federal Parliament. Within the Canadian region, legislators can take part in a wide range of exchange programs, conferences and seminars. The Canadian region also has its own publication, Canadian Parliamentary Review. The Regional Council is the decision-making body for the Canadian region.

The Canadian Branch was represented by Ms. Alexandra Mendès, M.P., Chair of the Branch, the Honourable Amina Gerba, Senator, Ms. Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, M.P., and Mr. Damien Kurek, M.P.

On May 29, 2023, Ms. Iqra Khalid, M.P., Vice Chair of the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association met with the Rt. Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the United Kingdom (U.K.) House of Commons, the Rt. Hon. Nigel Evans, Deputy Speaker of the U.K. House of Commons and Susannah Goshko, the British High Commissioner to Canada. Meeting participants discussed negotiations towards a Canada–U.K. free trade agreement (FTA), noting the importance of working together to create joint programs and share professional expertise in sectors such as artificial intelligence and defence. Further, participants identified the need for the FTA to include mechanisms to facilitate foreign credential recognition between Canada and the U.K. The importance of relationships between Commonwealth countries was also discussed, and Ms. Khalid shared her experience attending seminars and events hosted by the U.K. Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

The CPA’s international executive committee (EXCO) meets twice a year, in the spring and just before the annual meeting. 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 Mr. Terry Duguid, M.P.

The 2023 Westminster Seminar on Parliamentary Practice and Procedure organized by the United Kingdom Branch of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association gathered 65 parliamentarians and clerks from every region of the Commonwealth to exchange ideas and build knowledge around topics relevant to Westminster-style democracies.

CPA International created the CPA Working Group on Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) modalities, following the end of the pilot project. The Canadian Region was represented at this meeting by Mr. Terry Duguid, M.P.

The Canadian Regional Seminar of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), held since 1973, brought together delegates from the federal, provincial, and territorial CPA branches for annual training and exchanges related to their work as legislators. The 42^nd seminar explored various themes.

The Canadian Branch was represented by Mr. Kody Blois, M.P. and Mr. Robert Kitchen, M.P.

Canada as a whole makes up one of the regions of the CPA, and its 14 branches correspond to the provincial and territorial legislative assemblies and the federal Parliament. Within the Canadian region, legislators can take part in a wide range of exchange programs, conferences and seminars. The Canadian region also has its own publication, Canadian Parliamentary Review. The Regional Council is the decision-making body for the Canadian region.

The Canadian Branch was represented by Mr. Terry Duguid, M.P., Head of Delegation and EXCO representative, the Honourable Victor Oh, Senator, the Honourable Tony Loffreda, Senator, Ms. Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, M.P., and Mr. Robert Kitchen, M.P.

On 16 June 2022, several Canadian Members of Parliament, including the Chair of the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Ms. Alexandra Mendès, M.P., met with the Hon. Gavin Short and the Hon. Leona Roberts, Members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly. Members were pleased to learn about the history of the Falkland Islands and discuss a range of topics including the economy, trade, natural resources, and fisheries.

From 10 to 11 May 2022, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association hosted a Seminar for Parliamentarians of the 12th Parliament of Guyana. Ms. Brenda Shanahan, Member of Parliament, was invited to provide remarks during a session on “Codes of Conduct, Transparency and Integrity” held on 10 May 2022. This session examined the importance of members maintaining high ethical standards; committing to transparency and integrity; and adhering to rules of conduct. In her presentation, Ms. Shanahan discussed the importance of codes of conduct for Parliamentarians and how they can contribute to building and maintaining public trust. She provided examples of policies governing the behaviour of parliamentarians in Canada, including sexual harassment policies and rules in place in the House of Commons. Ms. Shanahan noted that parliamentarians and their staff can lead by example by modelling respectful workplace behaviour and implementing initiatives to foster a healthy, safe, and respectful work culture in their individual offices.

The CPA’s international executive committee (EXCO) meets twice a year, in the spring and just before the annual meeting. 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 the Mr. Terry Duguid, M.P.

The 2022 Westminster Seminar on Parliamentary Practice and Procedure organized by the United Kingdom Branch of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association gathered many parliamentarians and clerks in person and virtually, from every region of the Commonwealth to exchange ideas and build knowledge around topics relevant to Westminster-style democracies. Two parliamentarians from the Canadian Branch attended virtually part of the Seminar.

Canada as a whole makes up one of the regions of the CPA, and its 14 branches correspond to the provincial and territorial legislative assemblies and the federal Parliament. Within the Canadian region, legislators can take part in a wide range of exchange programs, conferences and seminars. The Canadian region also has its own publication, Canadian Parliamentary Review. The Regional Council is the decision-making body for the Canadian region. The Canadian Branch was represented by the Honourable Yuen Pau Woo, Senator and Mr. Terry Duguid, M.P.

From 22–24 February 2022, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) UK, in partnership with the non-governmental organization Mission 89, held a virtual workshop to explore techniques to prevent sports trafficking, a form of human trafficking where individuals are “exploited through the false promise of the opportunity to play sports professionally.” Sébastien Lemire, Member of Parliament and member of the Canadian Branch of the CPA attended this workshop.

The first day of the workshop comprised two sessions aiming to provide participants with an understanding of human trafficking through sport. Dr. James Esson, UG Programme Director (Geography and Environment), Reader in Human Geography at Loughborough University, discussed how trafficking through football occurs and identified steps that could be taken to help prevent it. Matthew Edafe, an ambassador for Mission 89, shared his experience of being trafficked for sport in the 1990s.

The second day of the workshop featured breakout rooms where groups of participants discussed their role in addressing sports trafficking. Adeline Dumoulin (CPA UK) and Lerina Bright (Mission 89) facilitated one of the breakout rooms for parliamentarians and parliamentary officials.

CPA International created the CPA Constitutional Amendments Working Group. The Canadian Region was represented at this meeting by the Honourable Yuen Pau Woo, Senator.

To mark the International Day of Education, on January 24, 2022, the International Parliamentary Network for Education organized a parliamentary exchange to raise awareness of the global learning crisis which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the Canadian Branch attended this event: the Honourable Amina Gerba, Senator; Dr. Robert Kitchen, Member of Parliament (M.P.); and the Honourable Mike Lake, M.P. Additionally, Anita Vandenbeld, M.P. chaired the event with Joseph Nhan-O’Reilly, co-founder and executive director of the International Parliamentary Network for Education. Ms. Vandenbeld’s opening remarks noted that Parliamentarians play a vital role in effectively addressing the global learning crisis.

Guest speaker Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, founder and president of Human Capital Africa, discussed the link between the economy and education. Ms. Ezekwesili noted that research has identified ways to address education challenges which include prioritizing foundational learning in areas such as literacy and taking an evidence-based approach to investments and policy decisions.

Parliamentarians also had the opportunity to participate in discussions in breakout rooms. The first breakout room focussed on improving learning outcomes and began with remarks from Robert Jenkins, Global Director of Education for UNICEF. The theme of the second breakout room was “data and evidence for the learning crisis”; Dr. Rukmini Banerji, CEO of the Partham Education Foundation in India provided a brief introduction to the facilitated discussion.

For over 25 years, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has held post-election seminars for national and sub-national parliaments. The seminars provide parliamentarians with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of their roles and responsibilities including those relating to parliamentary practices, procedures, legislation, scrutiny, oversight, and representation. They also help parliamentarians gain a better understanding of the CPA and how to leverage its vast network and resources.

From December 15 to 17 2021, the CPA Headquarters Secretariat hosted a virtual post-election seminar for newly elected and returning members of the Parliament of the Bahamas. The Honourable Marilou McPhedran, Senator, was invited to provide remarks during a workshop on Women in Parliament held on December 16, 2021. The workshop provided the opportunity for Parliamentarians to discuss women’s representation and share experiences about working in Parliament.

In her presentation, Senator McPhedran discussed women’s representation in Canada’s Parliament, as well as ways to foster a gender-sensitive workplace. During her remarks, Senator McPhedran explained that by introducing family-friendly measures, parliaments can help overcome barriers faced by female elected officials and make workplaces more gender sensitive. During the questions and comments portion of the workshop, Senator McPhedran highlighted Canadian initiatives related to women’s participation in politics including Equal Voice, an organization dedicated to supporting women in politics, and its Daughters of the Vote Program.

On December 2, 2021 the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) hosted a virtual workshop entitled How NHRIs [National Human Rights Institutions] and Parliaments can Protect and Promote Disability Rights. The objective of the workshop was to discuss the role of NHRIs and Parliaments in protecting and promoting the rights of Commonwealth citizens with disabilities. The session consisted of a series of presentations by the following panelists:

• The Honourable Dennitah Ghati, Member of the National Assembly of Kenya and Chairperson of Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities

• Caroline Waters OBE, Deputy Chair of the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission

• The Honourable Eugene Mussolini M.P., Member of the Rwandan Chamber of Deputies for Persons with Disabilities

• Richard Rieser, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Disabled Person's Forum

• Bonface Massah, Commissioner, Malawi Human Rights Commission

The presenters took turns sharing initiatives undertaken by NHRIs and Parliaments within their jurisdictions to protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities. They also discussed some of the challenges faced by persons with disabilities within their countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by NHRIs and Parliaments to mitigate them. During their presentations and the question-and-answer portion of the workshop, the panelists stressed the importance on both the signing and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The workshop was attended by the following member of the Canadian Branch of the CPA: the Honourable Chantal Petitclerc, Senator.

On November 22, 2021, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Headquarters Secretariat hosted a roundtable discussion for members of the National Assembly of Belize through its Technical Assistance Program. The objective of the roundtable, entitled Gender Equality Policy, was to engage participants in a discussion on how to build and maintain a gender sensitive parliament to encourage greater representation of women in parliamentary decision-making. As a member of the Canadian Branch of the CPA, the Honourable Marilou McPhedran, Senator, led the roundtable discussion.

Senator McPhedran’s presentation focused on Canada’s approach to Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+). She started by defining GBA+ and its importance within the context of policy making. Senator McPhedran then presented various opportunities for parliamentarians to advance GBA+ and gender-sensitive initiatives, including its application to legislation, budgeting, committee work and to the parliamentary environment more generally. Senator McPhedran also underscored some of the challenges faced by parliamentarians and policy makers when trying to apply GBA+, including those pertaining to the availability of data and the resources required to conduct parliamentary studies that adequately represent the groups effected by proposed legislation.