Report

The parliamentary delegation of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF), which participated in the proceedings of the APF Parliamentary Affairs Committee (the Committee) in Port Louis, Mauritius from April 8 to 10, 2026, is honoured to present its report. Ten APF branches participated in the Committee’s work: Cambodia, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Morocco, Quebec, Senegal and Switzerland.

The Canadian delegation consisted of two parliamentarians:

• Marie-France Lalonde, M.P., Chair of the Canadian Branch

• Joël Godin, M.P., Chair of the Committee

They were accompanied by Julie Pelletier, Administrative Secretary of the Canadian Branch.

PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

The meeting of the Committee opened with a formal sitting, during which Ms. Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra, Speaker of the National Assembly of Mauritius and Chair of the Mauritian Branch of the APF, and Mr. Joël Godin (Canada), Chair of the Committee, delivered welcoming remarks.

Chaired by Mr. Joël Godin, the proceedings began with an exchange with representatives of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the Association of Parliaments of the Member States of the Indian Ocean Commission (AP-IOC). Mr. Christian Ihariantsoa, Coordinator of the IOC Governance Unit, presented the intergovernmental organization, which focuses on regional cooperation and sustainable development among its five member states: Seychelles, Mauritius, the Union of the Comoros, Réunion (France) and Madagascar. The Honourable Egbert Aglae, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles, represented the AP-IOC, which brings together the parliaments of the Union of the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. The AP-IOC has been an observer member of the APF since July 2025, and its mission is to strengthen interparliamentary cooperation and promote democratic values and human rights. The Deputy Speaker presented projects carried out in collaboration with the APF, such as the Indian Ocean Regional Youth Parliament in December 2025 and a cooperation seminar on climate change in September 2024.

The proceedings continued with a round table on the recent parliamentary developments within the APF parliaments. Each branch was invited to provide information on topics such as changes to the functioning of their parliament, the organization of parliamentary work or the composition of political groups. On this occasion, Marie-France Lalonde spoke about the composition of the House of Commons since the beginning of the 45th Parliament and the three by-elections on April 13, 2026, which could see the minority government change to a majority government. She also announced that the Parliament of Canada will host the APF Bureau in Ottawa in January 2027, which aligns with the Government of Canada’s efforts to support La Francophonie and the country’s commitment to hosting the 2028 Francophonie Summit in Canada’s National Capital Region.

Subsequently, the members of the Committee heard presentations from their colleagues who presented new draft reports and updates on reports in progress.

• Ms. Nadia El Yousfi (Belgium/Wallonia-Brussels), who appeared by video, presented her draft report proposing a francophone approach to artificial intelligence in parliaments, based on ethics, accountability and democratic trust.

• Ms. Geneviève Hébert (Quebec) presented the latest version of her draft report on the effects of disinformation in the parliamentary environment. She facilitated a workshop to identify shared commitments that reflect the concerns and experiences of parliamentarians and that respond to the current realities of disinformation in La Francophonie. This report will lead to the tabling of a resolution on this issue at the Committee’s next meeting.

• Mr. Hussein Bourgie (France) presented an update of his draft guide on parliamentary best practices to promote the French language. In particular, he described legislative initiatives in Mauritius that are intended to protect the language and its use in parliamentary proceedings.

• • Mr. Mamadou Lamine Diaité (Senegal) presented a report on strengthening parliamentary tools for the oversight of public policies and on the contribution of artificial intelligence in this area, and made recommendations to strengthen parliamentary evaluation in Senegal. Mr. Daouda Sidibé (Côte d’Ivoire) described the resources available in his parliament for evaluating public policies and pledged to contribute to his colleague’s report ahead of the Committee’s next meeting.

Mr. Daouda Sididé (Côte d’Ivoire) provided an update on the cooperation activities carried out by the APF in 2025. Marie-France Lalonde then intervened to follow up on the resolution concerning the evaluation of these measures adopted in July 2024, which stemmed from a report by the Canadian Branch. At the suggestion of the Canadian Branch, the Committee on Parliamentary Affairs adopted a set of action items to follow up on the resolution.

Members of the Committee held a discussion with young Mauritians who had participated in various editions of the Francophone Youth Parliament (FYP), which brings together young people aged 18 to 25 for a parliamentary simulation.

• Ms. Selvana Mootien spoke about her experience at the ninth edition of the FYP held from July 25 to 31, 2022, in Tirana, Albania. Organized in collaboration with the Parliament of the Republic of Albania and the Tirana City Hall, and with the support of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), the event brought together 60 francophone youth from 27 countries.

• Ms. Shahana Auhammud spoke about her experience at the tenth edition of the FYP held from July 4 to 9, 2024, in Montreal, Canada. Thanks to the support of the OIF and the Parliament of Canada, the activity brought together 80 young participants from 40 countries.

• Mr. Hicham Khamlichi spoke about his experience at the Indian Ocean Regional Francophone Youth Parliament held from December 8 to 12, 2025, in Port Louis, Mauritius. Organized by the APF, in partnership with the OIF and the AP-IOC, the event brought together 27 young people from the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Réunion to discuss issues related to civic participation, digital technology and professional inclusion.

Joël Godin thanked the three young participants for their inspiring accounts and reiterated the importance that the Committee and the APF place on francophone youth and on strengthening their civic engagement. Marie-France Lalonde congratulated the youth on their involvement and asked them how parliamentarians could enhance the experience in the run-up to the 11th Francophone Youth Parliament, which will take place in Yaoundé, Cameroon from July 6 to 11, 2026.

Ms. Bibi Safeena Lotun, Clerk of the National Assembly of Mauritius, and Ms. Saseeta Ramsahye-Rakha, Manager, Parliamentary Digital Services and Broadcast, explained how artificial intelligence can serve as a strategic lever to modernize democracy and improve the efficiency of parliamentary operations, transparency and citizen participation.

The Committee ultimately:

• endorsed the appointment of Mr. Joël Godin to the Steering Committee of the Réseau francophone international en conseil scientifique (RFICS); [1]

• adopted a question on the topic of disinformation that Joël Godin will put forward, on behalf of the members of the Committee, to the Secretary General of l’OIF, Ms. Louise Mushikiwabo, during the 51st plenary session of the APF in Yaoundé, Cameroon;

• discussed the Committee’s contribution to the draft opinion the APF will submit to the 2026 Francophonie Summit to be held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in October 2026, under the topic of “peace as a vector for sustainable development” [TRANSLATION].

The next meeting of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee will be held on July 9, 2026, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, as part of the APF Annual Session. Joël Godin concluded the proceedings by thanking the National Assembly of Mauritius and its staff for their warm hospitality.

Site visits

Members of the Committee had the privilege of visiting the National Assembly of Mauritius in the presence of its Speaker. They also visited the Intercontinental Slavery Museum and the Aapravasi Ghat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden.

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,

Marie-France Lalonde, M.P.

Chair, Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie