Canadian Section of ParlAmericas (CPAM)

On December 3, 2021, two Canadian parliamentarians participated virtually in the 58th Meeting of ParlAmericas’ Board of Directors. The participants were: Marc G. Serré, M.P., Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas (CPAM), Member of ParlAmericas’ Board of Directors (North America) and Chair of the ParlAmericas Corporation; and the Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator, Vice-Chair of CPAM, President of ParlAmericas’ Parliamentary Network on Climate Change (PPCC), 2nd Vice-President of ParlAmericas’ Board of Directors and Treasurer of the ParlAmericas Corporation.

The meeting was chaired by Bridgid Annisette-George, Vice-President of ParlAmericas’ Board of Directors and Speaker of Trinidad and Tobago’s House of Representatives. Speaker Annisette-George provided updates on ParlAmericas’ recent and upcoming activities, and welcomed two new Board members: Claudel Francis, Speaker of St. Lucia’s Senate; and Veronica Camino Farjat, a member of Mexico’s Senate and President of ParlAmericas’ Parliamentary Network for Gender Equality (PNGE). During the discussion of corporate business, Mr. Serré provided the report of the Corporate Board of Directors, and, as Treasurer of the ParlAmericas Corporation, Senator Galvez explained the annual audit.

Speaker Annisette-George summarized the first two sessions of ParlAmericas’ 18th Plenary Assembly, which had been held virtually in recent weeks, and reviewed the draft declaration on the topic of “rebuilding the social contract” which the participants approved at the final plenary session the following week. ParlAmericas’ International Secretariat then provided information about the upcoming Board of Director elections on December 10, 2021.

Finally, Javiera Vega, from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, made a presentation to Board members about how parliamentarians in Latin America and the Caribbean are working to combat hunger through the Parliamentary Front Against Hunger.

In recent years the hemisphere has been witnessing growing social discontent, which has manifested in social mobilizations and protests in several countries as well as general citizen distrust of institutions. In addition, the health and socioeconomic crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the already glaring inequalities in the Americas and the Caribbean. In the face of this complex panorama, civil society and youth organizations have challenged governing institutions with demands that insist on the rebuilding of the social contract.

This session offered parliamentarians the opportunity to hold dialogue with representatives of civil society and youth about their visions, expectations, and proposals to rebuild the social contract under democratic and inclusive paradigms.

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

The health and socio-economic crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the already notorious inequalities existing in the hemisphere, has deepened citizen distrust in institutions, and has given rise to growing social discontent, which has manifested in various ways including social mobilization and widespread protests across the region.

Recognizing the complexity of these issues, the interparliamentary dialogue session offered a space for discussion, prospective analysis, and exchange of good legislative practices regarding the role of parliaments and the opportunities they face in rebuilding the social contract. This discussion aimed to highlight the need to endorse democratic principles, restore public trust in institutions, advance the public policies that are required to overcome the difficult socio-economic crisis in the hemisphere, and discuss the regional integration initiatives required to undergo the post-pandemic recovery processes.

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