Report

The Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) appointed a delegation of one parliamentarian to participate in the Tenth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, which took place in Yerevan, Armenia on September 12–14, 2024. The sole Canadian delegate was the Honourable Nathaniel Erskine-Smith[1]. Having previously served as a board member of the IPU’s Forum of Young Parliamentarians, he was very involved in working with the Canadian Group of the IPU to host the 4th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians which took place in Ottawa, Canada in 2017.

TENTH IPU GLOBAL CONFERENCE OF YOUNG PARLIAMENTARIANS[2]

The theme of the Tenth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians was “Avoiding lost generations: Preserving education and employment in all circumstances.” The event was attended by 144 young parliamentarians[3] from 52 countries.[4]

A. Programme   

The programme included an opening ceremony and the following five sessions:

• Session 1: Countdown to 2030: Where are we with youth education and employment?
• Session 2: Young lives disrupted: The impact of crises on youth socio-economic rights and empowerment.
• Session 2 (cont’d): How are youth rights impacted by crisis in my country?
• Session 3: Leaving no one behind: Delivering education and employment to the most vulnerable and marginalized.
• Session 4: Preserving youth empowerment in times of crisis: What young MPs can do.
• Session 5: Unconference.[5]

B. Canadian activities during the session   

In addition to the various sessions he attended, the Hon. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was a panelist in Part 2 of Session 2, “How are youth rights impacted by crisis in my country?” His presentation focused on the importance of high-quality public education and the need to share best practices to address youth unemployment. He highlighted the successful graduation rates in Canada, while also recognizing Canada’s history of discrimination against First Nations and the continued need to improve education opportunities for Indigenous communities despite some recent progress. He also spoke to the issue of rising youth unemployment in Canada, and the need to prioritize outcomes over announcements in our youth employment and skills strategy. He encouraged other delegates to share best practices in supporting youth employment from their own countries.

He also actively participated in Session 4, “Preserving youth empowerment in times of crisis: What young MPs can do.” He shared information on the Canada Summer Jobs and Youth Employment and Skills Strategy programs, how he engages young people in schools and through his youth council, and that work is underway to realize a youth climate corps and to prioritize young people in federal budgets.

C. Other meetings   

The Hon. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith held many formal and informal discussions with parliamentary delegates from countries, including:

• Armenia;
• Burkina Faso;
• China,
• Djibouti,
• DRC,
• Ireland,
• Norway,
• Qatar,
• Serbia,
• Suriname,
• United Kingdom,
• UAE,
• Uganda;

These exchanges provided a strategic opportunity for the Canadian Group to engage in parliamentary diplomacy, to increase its understanding of other countries and regions, to discuss key bilateral and international issues, and to work towards shared multilateral goals, including in the context of the work of the IPU. Topics discussed included:

• Shared housing affordability challenges;
• The need to defend democracy;
• Peace and security;
• Support for young families;
• Trade, including questions of forced labour and supply chains; and
• Youth employment strategies.

The Hon. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith also met with Canada’s Ambassador to Armenia at our embassy, during a visit to the genocide memorial, and at the conference. He also engaged with representatives from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on youth employment and from the World Health Organization on pandemic preparedness.

D. Conference outcomes   

The Tenth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians Outcome Document[6] highlights future actions to be taken with respect to education and employment, including by guaranteeing that everyone has access to education.

Travel Expenses

Travel expenses associated with this activity can be found in the delegation’s financial report. This report is available in the Financial Disclosure section of the Parliamentary Diplomacy website.

Respectfully submitted,

Hon. Rob Oliphant, P.C., M.P.

President, Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union