Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU)

On June 29 and 30, 2021, a delegation from the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) comprising the Hon. Kim Pate, Senator, Mr. Sven Spengemann, M.P., Ms. Heather McPherson, M.P., and Ms. Andréanne Larouche, M.P. attended a virtual workshop on human rights in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. On the first day, Mr. Spengemann moderated a session on responses to the pandemic and respect for human rights. A subsequent session examined the role parliamentary committees can play in ensuring human rights are considered in pandemic response measures.

On the second day, Mr. Spengemann participated, as a panellist, in a session on how to address inequalities and structural discrimination. He noted that the most marginalized populations have been the hardest hit by COVID-19 and he highlighted recent work undertaken by committees of the Canadian House of Commons with respect to Indigenous peoples and gender equality. Mr. Spengemann emphasized that parliaments play an important role in strengthening domestic and international human rights commitments. The two-day event ended with a session on how to better connect parliaments and international human rights mechanisms during the post-pandemic recovery.

The workshop drew over 90 participants, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet. Accordingly, Canadian delegates had the opportunity to hear about the measures being taken elsewhere in the world to protect human rights during this unprecedented crisis.

On June 23, 2021, a delegation from the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) comprising Senator Rob Black, Senator Brent Cotter, Senator Victor Oh, Mr. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP, and Mr. Yves Perron, MP attended the High-level parliamentary meeting: Transforming food systems for health, equity and sustainability. They were joined by over one hundred other parliamentarians, officials from various United Nations agencies and representatives from civil society. The virtual event was organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in connection with the United Nations’ Food Systems Summit taking place in September 2021. The programme focussed on two matters related to food systems: their connection with climate change and sustainability, as well as their link with malnutrition and health. Participants heard about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global, national and local food systems and the importance of commitments on all levels and by all stakeholders, including parliamentarians, to address inequalities. During the discussion, Mr. Erskine-Smith queried the potential benefits of prioritizing plant-based food systems in overcoming current challenges and pressures on sustainability and health.

From June 16 to 18, 2021, a delegation of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) comprising Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne, Senator Robert Black, Senator Marilou McPhedran, Mr. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, M.P. and Ms. Marilène Gill, M.P. attended the virtual World e-Parliament Conference 2021. This event was organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Centre for Innovation in Parliament (CIP) to foster the exchange of good practices and inter-parliamentary cooperation with respect to innovation and the digital transition. During the three-day event, Canadian delegates participated in several Q&A sessions and roundtables covering five themes: towards the digital parliament; infrastructure; data in digital parliaments; enabling digital parliamentarians; and artificial intelligence. Researchers from the CIP also shared key findings from their forthcoming e-Parliament report. Notably, they revealed that parliamentary modernisation has accelerated and that parliaments have become more agile, finding iterative solutions, adopting new tools and pivoting quickly to address emerging needs. During this event, the changes made and tools adopted by parliaments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic were discussed at length by participants from all around the world.