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Fourteen Canadian parliamentarians attended the Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Québec City, Canada, November 13 -17, 2006. Mr. Leon Benoit, M.P. led the delegation, which consisted of Senators Jane Cordy, Pierre Claude Nolin, Raynell Andreychuk, Joseph Day, Gerard Phalen, James Cowan and Dennis Dawson and by the following members of Parliament Mr. Claude Bachand, Mrs. Cheryl Gallant, Mr. Laurie Hawn, Mr. Joe McGuire, Mr. Gilles-A. Perron, and Mr. Marcel Proulx. The delegation was assisted by Denis Robert, Secretary to the delegation, Wolfgang Koerner, Advisor, James Cox, Advisor and Micheline Georges, Administrative Assistant. The annual session began with the meetings of the political groups and committees. The Defence and Security Committee first considered its draft General Lessons Learned from NATO’s Current Operations, presented by Julio Miranda Calha (Portugal). During the discussion, Laurie Hawn argued that it is critical to improve security before development can occur, which means that NATO forces will need to continue to engage in combat. Following consideration of the draft report, members heard from Michael Rubin, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute and Editor of Middle East Quarterly, on Understanding the Iranian Threat to Regional Stability. Mr. Rubin noted that Iran’s desire for nuclear weapons long predates the US military presence in the region. In fact, he continued, Iranian strategic thinkers worry more about Pakistan and the fact that Pakistan’s nuclear tests took place close to the Iranian border. He also noted that Iran’s influence in Iraq is limited. Iraq’s Shia population is wary of Iran in general and Iraqi Shia clerics take steps to demonstrate their independence from Iran. The Committee then went on to consider the draft Report of the sub-Committee on Future Security and defence Capabilities, NATO’s Role in South Caucasus Region, by Frank Cook (UK), Rapporteur. The draft report was adopted by a large majority. Next, the Committee considered the draft Report of the sub-Committee on Transatlantic Defence and security Cooperation, Changes in the Forward Deployment of the United States’ Military and the Effects on the Transatlantic Alliance, by John Shimkus (US), Rapporteur. Again, the report was adopted by a large majority. Members then heard from Michael Kergin, Former Canadian Ambassador to the United States, on Border Security in North America. His comments sparked a discussion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and its possible negative consequences for the citizens of Canada. Claude Bachand called the initiative somewhat restrictive and predicted that it would have negative consequences. Mr. Kergin agreed but added that his American counterparts are determined to implement the new regulations. The Committee also heard from Charles Philippe David, Raoul-Danderand Chair in Strategic Studies at the University of Québec in Montreal. He spoke on Developments in US-Canadian Relations and the Transatlantic Relationship. He noted that the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) is an example of how US and Canadian security in inextricably intertwined. Further areas of cooperation include maritime protection of the Arctic. Finally, the Committee also heard from Major General Hincke, Chief of Programs, Canadian Ministry of Defence, who spoke on Canada’s military Operations and Transformation of the Canadian Armed Forces. The Committee’s draft Resolution on Reaffirming Unity of Purpose in Afghanistan was adopted with minor amendments. Key topics addressed by the Political Committee included: · NATO operations in Afghanistan · The future of the Alliance, and · The security situation in South-Eastern Europe, particularly Kosovo. Stefanie Beck, Director, Defence and Security Relations Division, Foreign and International Affairs, Canada, focused on the upcoming Riga summit. She noted that NATO is an important forum for consultation on transatlantic issues and went on to reiterate that Canada remained strongly attached to the shared values of Alliance members. Ambassador Robert hunter, Senior Advisor, Rand Corporation spoke on Global Partnerships and the Future of the Alliance, and noted that NATO was placing its credibility upon its success in Afghanistan and that the mission has, overall, been successful. However, he also cautioned that some members were not pulling their weight and that this could endanger the whole mission. Robert Austin, Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the Munk Center for International Studies, University of Toronto, spoke on South-East European Security – Outlook for 2007 and beyond. Austin began by arguing that as far as South Eastern Europe is concerned the “glass is half full.” He alluded to the region’s improving investment climate and to the increase in tourism. Moreover, personal security had improved throughout the region and the process of regional integration was moving forward. However, problems still remained, and the most pressing of these is Kosovo. The Committee was also addressed by Paul H. Chapin, Senior Counsellor, Pearson Peacekeeping Center on UN Peacekeeping Missions and NATO-UN Cooperation. He argued that 9/11 forced nations to take a more global perspective on the issue of security. He also argued that because the UN is overwhelmed with the many problems it faces, NATO could help through the use of its professional military assets. Both organizations are learning from each other and need to continue to do so. Cooperation between them, he concluded, will be essential for future security. At the invitation of the Chair, members then engaged in a wide ranging debate on various key issues. Next, the Committee considered its various reports, including: the draft General Report on Afghanistan and The Future of the Alliance, by Bert Koenders (Netherlands); the draft Report of the Sub-Committee on NATO Partnerships on Central Asian Security – the Role of NATO, presented by Rafael Estrella (Spain), Acting Rapporteur; the draft Report of the Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Relations on Iran – a Challenge for Transatlantic Cooperation, by Ruprecht Polenz (Germany). Reports were adopted with minor amendments except for the last which was adopted without amendment. The Committee then considered its various draft resolutions, including the one on the 50th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the Fight for Freedom. The Science and Technology Committee began its meeting with a presentation by Tony Haymet, Director, SCRIPPS, Institution of Oceanography, on Climate Change and the Ocean Environment. He began by providing an historical overview of global warming studies. Of particular concern to him is the effect that increased carbon dioxide levels are having on the acidification of our oceans. The Committee then went on to consider the draft General Report Interoperability: the Need for Transatlantic Harmonization, presented by Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, General Rapporteur. In his presentation, Senator Nolin stressed that, in the information age, interoperability of Allied forces means that the challenge of “network-enabled” capabilities needs to be taken into account. The report was adopted unanimously. Next, the Committee heard from Major General Hincke, Chief of Programs, Canadian Ministry of Defence. In his presentation, Major General Hincke discussed the technological aspects of Canadian Forces transformation. This was followed by a presentation from Wade L. Huntley, Director, Simons Centre for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Research, Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia, on Nuclear North Korea: Old Worries, New Challenges. Huntley noted that the current stock of plutonium possessed by the North Koreans is probably sufficient to produce from 4 to 13 nuclear bombs. The Committee then went on to consider the draft Report of the Sub-Committee on the Proliferation of military Technology, Nuclear Policy of Iran, presented by Cristian Valeriu Buzea (Romania), Acting Rapporteur. The main objective of the Report was to provide an overview of different components of Iran’s nuclear program and to try to assess the risks stemming from this program. The Report was adopted with one objection. The Committee then concluded its work by adopting its draft resolutions. The first on The Nuclear Weapon Test by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, presented by Michael Mates (United Kingdom); and the second on Interoperability in Network-Enabled Operations, presented by Senator Pierre Claude Nolin. The Economics and Security Committee began its meeting with a presentation by Ann Weston, Vice-President and Coordinator or Research, the North-South Institute, on The Global Development Agenda and the State of the WTO Talks. In her presentation, Ms. Watson outlined the current status of the WTO trade negotiations launched in 2001 at Doha and explored their implications for development. She addressed five main questions: 1. What was the Doha development agenda? 2. Why has Doha failed (so far) 3. What is happening outside the WTO? 4. Whither the WTO? 5. What can the WTO contribute to development? Next, the Committee heard from Taras Kuzio, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, George Marshall Fund of the United States, George Washington University, on The Situation in Ukraine. In his presentation Dr. Kuzio focused on the situation in Ukraine after the Orange Revolution and its implications for Ukraine’s foreign and security policy. The Committee then considered the draft Report of the Sub-Committee on East-West Economic Cooperation and Convergence, Transition in Ukraine by Margus Hanson (Estonia). The report was welcomed as an important contribution to Western understanding of the situation in Ukraine. This was followed by consideration of the draft Special Report on Monitoring G8 Commitments to Developing Countries, by Hugh Bayley (United Kingdom). When introducing the report Mr. Bayley focused on the great difficulties the international community will confront in achieving the 2000 Millennium Development Goal of halving world poverty by 2015. Next, the Committee considered the draft Report of the Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Economic Relations, China’s Development Challenge, by Petras Austrevicius (Lithuania and John Boozman (United States). Finally, consideration was given to the draft General Report on Energy Security, by Jos van Gennip (Netherlands). In his remarks the Rapporteur noted that national approaches to Energy Security are no longer sufficient to cope with the global and multifaceted nature of energy security challenges. All reports were adopted. The Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security opened its meeting with a presentation by Donald Hays, Chief Operating Officer, Business Executives for National Security, on Bosnia and Herzegovina: Prospects after the October Elections. Hays provided a critical assessment of the international community’s approach to stabilization and reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina, calling it a qualified success. During the ensuing discussion, Senator Jane Cordy asked the speaker whether the international community is learning from the Bosnian experience that democratic reform needs to be implemented from the bottom up. Mr. Hays explained that, although it is difficult to circumvent State structures, the international community still needs to do a better job of designing local strategies. The foregoing was followed by a panel discussion with Sami Aoun, professor, Department of History and Political Science, University of Sherbrooke, and Wesley Wark, Professor, International Relations Program, Munk Center for International Studies, Toronto University, on The Challenges of Home-Grown Terrorism in Canada. Both agreed that the terrorist threat to Canada was real. The Committee then considered its draft General Report Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prospects for the Post-Dayton Era, by Vitalino Canas (Portugal). After adoption of the report the Committee heard from Ambassador David Pratt, Advisor and Special Ambassador for the Canadian Red Cross, on The Red Cross as a Strategic Asset. Pratt explained that the complex emergencies of the post-Cold War environment prompted the Red Cross movement to initiate a review of its “auxiliary” role, with a view to ensuring that the unique and privileged partnership between national Red Cross Societies and national governments allows the Red Cross to deliver humanitarian services in accordance with the fundamental principles – humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality. The Committee then considered the draft Special Report on NATO and Civil Protection, by Lord Jopling (United Kingdom). The Rapporteur noted that although NATO has already achieved much in the field of civil protection, it needs to coordinate its actions better internally and with other organizations. Following adoption of the Report, the Committee heard from Josée Verner, Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages. Minister Verner spoke on the various aspects of Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan. She called on all member states to intensify their efforts with regard to providing a solution to the Afghanistan problem. Finally, the Committee considered the draft Report of the sub-Committee of Democratic Governance, Frameworks and Areas of Cooperation in the Black Sea Region, by Bert Middel (Netherlands). The Rapporteur noted that closer links between NATO, the EU and regional organizations could prove beneficial in promoting stability and confidence in the Black Sea region, especially in the fields of energy, transport, cross-border trafficking, and civil emergency planning. The report was adopted. The Annual Session also held a commemoration ceremony of the Hungarian Revolution. The head of the Canadian Delegation Mr. Leon Benoit was invited to speak and noted, inter alias, that as an alliance of like minded states, we must never take for granted the freedoms that so many Hungarians fought for then, and that so many people around the world have continued to fight for since. Today, he continued, we stand with all Hungarian-Canadians, and with the people of Hungary, in remembering those who died and suffered in the revolution. While hopes may have been crushed in 1956, the courage demonstrated by those seeking their political freedom laid the groundwork for the final achievement of freedom 35 years later. The Plenary Session was held Friday 17 November and was addressed by both Speaker Kinsella, of the Canadian Senate, and Speaker Milliken, of the Canadian House of Commons. As well the Assembly also heard from the Honourable Gordon O’Connor, Minister of National Defence. In closing, the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association wishes to note the excellent support it received from the International and Interparliamentary Affairs Directorate, and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s International Secretariat. In particular the Association wishes to express its gratitude to Ms. Elizabeth Rody and her team for an excellent Annual Session.
Respectfully submitted,
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