Canadian Section of ParlAmericas (CPAM)

On May 8th 2020, the Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, participated in a virtual meeting in Spanish entitled “Legislative Actions for the Prevention of Violence against Women during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Four panellists spoke at the meeting:

• Yeliz Osman, Policy Specialist on Ending Violence Against Women at the UN Women Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, noted that it is too soon to reach conclusions on the impact of COVID-19 on violence against women, but emerging figures seem to indicate that it has increased during the pandemic. She explained that many countries in the Americas and the Caribbean recorded a 30-90% increase in calls to helplines for violence against women during the pandemic.

• Karina Arteaga, a member of the National Assembly of Ecuador, told parliamentarians in attendance about measures taken in Ecuador to counteract the high rates of gender-based violence. For example, the public prosecutor’s office activated an online service for victims of violence.

• Member of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies Marcela Sabat noted that government measures in Chile are aimed at expanding the capacity to receive complaints by offering the option of filing a complaint through WhatsApp or a web chat. Ms. Sabat said that women without access to the Internet or a smart phone can use the code phrase “Mascarilla 19” [Mask 19] to discreetly report violence during a visit to a pharmacy.

• Mexican Senator Verónica Camino indicated that Mexico has several legal instruments to prevent, address, punish and eradicate violence against women. She emphasized the importance of collecting and consulting data on violence against women to inform decision making and public policy formulation.

On May 8th, 2020, Mr. Marc Serré – Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas – participated in a webinar hosted by the Open Parliament e-Network, a global consortium comprising numerous international organizations, including ParlAmericas. The webinar’s topic was “Parliaments and Pandemics: Going virtual and staying open in the COVID-19 era.”

Other organizations participating in the webinar included Directorio Legislativo, the National Democratic Institute, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Latin American Network for Legislative Transparency and Parliamentary Network Africa.

Discussions during the webinar focused on the importance of legislatures remaining open and transparent during a global crisis. Participants spoke about how keeping the public informed helps legislators fulfill their representation and oversight responsibilities.

On May 1st 2020, Mr. Marc Serré – Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas – participated in a meeting on the topic of “Virtual parliamentary sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The virtual meeting was co-hosted by ParlAmericas and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA); it was chaired by Bahamian Senator Ranard Henfield, Vice-President (Caribbean) of ParlAmericas’ Open Parliament Network. Presiding officers, parliamentarians and clerks from 17 English-speaking legislatures in the Americas and the Caribbean participated in the meeting.

Participants heard presentations by: the Honourable Juan Watterson, Speaker of the Isle of Man’s House of Keys; Luiz Fernando Bandeira de Mello, Secretary-General of the Board of Brazil’s Senate; and Matthew Hamlyn, Strategic Director of the Chamber Business Team of the United Kingdom’s House of Commons. They discussed the technical and political challenges associated with implementing virtual sittings and committee meetings in their legislatures.

Jarvis Matiya, the CPA’s Acting Secretary-General, updated participants about the CPA’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the launch of the CPA Toolkit for Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures on the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic and delivering parliamentary democracy.

The Honourable Bridgid Annisette-George – Speaker of Trinidad and Tobago’s House of Representatives, ParlAmericas Board Member and a member of CPA’s International Executive Committee – delivered closing remarks.

On April 16th, 2020, Senator Rosa Galvez – Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas and Vice-President (North America) of ParlAmericas' Parliamentary Network on Climate Change – participated in ParlAmericas’ first meeting held since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020. This virtual meeting in Spanish was designed for Parliamentary staff. At the meeting, which was attended by legislators from 16 ParlAmericas countries, parliamentary officials shared their experiences in adapting their legislative procedures rapidly at the onset of the pandemic.

Participants heard presentations by: Gustavo Vasconcellos, Technology and Information Analyst in the Innovation and ICT Directorate of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies; Miguel Landeros, Secretary General of Chile’s Chamber of Deputies; and Claudio Prieto, General Coordinator of Technology and Information of Ecuador’s National Assembly. These panellists provided a detailed account of technical and procedural measures being implemented in their country to enable legislatures to meet virtually.

Room 505, Victoria Building

12:30 p.m.

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The Honourable Senator Rosa Galvez, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, attended events organized as part of the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 25) held in Madrid, Spain. The Conference offered the opportunity to learn more about various climate change issues, promote parliamentarians’ role in implementing the December 2015 Paris Agreement, and present the activities of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Network on Climate Change.

Parliamentarians from 21 legislative assemblies of the Americas and the Caribbean met for the 16th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas in Asunción, Paraguay. The theme of this annual meeting was “Accelerating Progress on Agenda 2030: Good Practices for Parliamentary Action.” The parliamentarians had an opportunity to share their respective regional experiences and discuss the challenges and progress made in implementing Agenda 2030 and achieving its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

ParlAmericas supports parliamentary climate action through innovative programs, dialogues, and partnerships designed for parliamentarians of the Americas and the Caribbean to promote the highest political commitments for advancing legislative work on climate change mitigation and adaptation in the hemisphere.

The ParlAmericas parliamentary Network for Gender Equality is examining the theme, “Achieving balance in the world of work” through a series of panel sessions and workshops on reducing barriers to women’s economic empowerment.