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The Canadian delegation was composed of the following members: From the Senate: Hon. JoAnne Buth, Hon. Donald Neil Plett, Hon. Joseph A. Day. From the House of Commons: Mike Wallace, Head of Delegation, Peter Braid, Pierre Lemieux, Alex Atamanenko, Alexandrine Latendresse, Hon. John McCallum. The delegation was assisted by Roger Préfontaine, Executive Secretary of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group and the Canada-China Legislative Association. Mike Wallace, M.P., led the Canadian parliamentary delegation which participated in the 21st Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), held in Vladivostok, Russian Federation, from January 27 to 31, 2013, at the invitation of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. 328 delegates from 23 APPF Member States and one Observer State attended the Annual Meeting. Representatives of the Parliaments of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and of the United Nations (UN), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (IPA), the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS), the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), also attended the meeting as guests. The list of participating countries is attached as Appendix A. The Forum, held on an annual basis, is one of the most significant and diverse gatherings of parliamentarians from the Asia-Pacific Region. The Canadian Head of Delegation attended the Executive Committee meeting. Canadian delegates made various interventions throughout the forum and actively participated in the debate in the drafting committee and its subcommittees. Under the theme of Economy and Trade in the Asia-Pacific, Senator Buth addressed the question of food security. Peter Braid, M.P., made a presentation on innovation and John McCallum, M.P., on trade. Pierre Lemieux, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, spoke of the trade as it relates to trade issues. Under the political and security matters, Mike Wallace addressed the Assembly on organised crime and human smuggling. On the theme of Regional Cooperation, Alexandrine Latendresse, M.P., participated in a round-table on young parliamentarians from the Asia-Pacific region. During the 21st Meeting, delegates exchanged views on a number of agenda items which were grouped in four broad categories: 1) Political and Security Issues in the Asia-Pacific; 2) Economic and Trade Issues in the Asia-Pacific; 3) Regional Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region; and 4) Future Work of APPF. The program of the conference is attached in Appendix B. The Forum allowed for dynamic discussions between parliamentarians and led to the adoption of a Joint Communiqué and 14 resolutions on a wide range of subjects. The text of the Joint Communiqué can be found in Appendix C and the list of adopted resolutions in Appendix D. During the final plenary session, the delegations reported on the progress of implementation of the New Rules of Procedures. Delegates discussed the future activities and the results of the reform of the APPF. While attending the conference, the Canadian delegation was also able to participate in a bilateral meeting with representatives of the Russian delegation (Appendix E). Conclusion The Canadian Parliament attaches great importance to the work of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) and is proud to be one of its founding members. The Forum has allowed Canadian parliamentarians to engage in dialogue with their international counterparts throughout the Asia Pacific region. Given the global economic situation, the need to guard against protectionist tendencies and this region’s growing political and economic influence, it is of increasing strategic importance for Canada to maintain an active presence in this Forum. The Canadian section of APPF looks forward to participating in the 22nd Annual Meeting in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in January 2014.
Respectfully submitted,
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