Interparliamentary Activities and Reports

More than 40 heads of national delegations and the elected members of the Bureau met on July 7, 2020 to a Standing Committee meeting. The Standing Committee meets three times a year to guide the work of the Assembly and would have met in Vancouver this week had the 2020 Annual Session not been cancelled due to the pandemic. Dr. Hedy Fry, C.P., M.P., Head of the Canadian OSCE PA Delegation and Special Representative on Gender Issues, noted Canada’s regret that it was not able to host the Annual Session this year. “As the OSCE PA convenes via videoconferencing today, we are reminded that we should have been gathering in Vancouver, Canada for the 2020 Annual Session from July 2 to 7,” Fry said. “The COVID-19 global pandemic has redefined how we, as parliamentarians, interact and communicate. Yet in a way, we have become more connected and our voices more relevant. As we continue to face new challenges and find new opportunities to fulfill the PA’s mission, I truly hope we, Canada, will be able to host a future Annual Session here in Vancouver.”

At this meeting, MP Cheryl Gallant received an update about the situation in Ukraine. A Ukrainian parliamentarian gave an overview of the political and security context in his country. The information session was followed by a question and answer period. The Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine then discussed the advantages for Ukraine under its new status as a NATO “Enhanced Opportunities Partner.” A presentation was also given on reforms in the defence and security sectors during another question and answer period. Lastly, the Director of the NATO Information and Documentation Centre (NIDC) in Ukraine gave participants an overview of misinformation about COVID-19 in Ukraine and public perception of NATO.

Bureau Meeting – July 6 The Bureau is delegated the authority to oversee the implementation of Plenary Assembly decisions. It ensures the implementation of the motions adopted, the resolutions made, and the advice and recommendations issued by the Plenary Assembly, and it can make any decisions it deems useful for that purpose. It considers, on the basis of a report from the General Secretariat, issues involving branch membership and changes to their status, and it adopts the APF’s budget. Francis Drouin, MP, Chair of the Canadian Branch and First Vice-Chair of the APF; Chris d’Entremont, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Branch; and Joël Godin, MP and Chair of the APF’s Parliamentary Affairs Committee, each participated in this meeting by videoconference. Parliamentarians in attendance discussed new requests for APF membership. Branches represented at the meeting gave status updates on the pandemic situation in their nations, with Mr. Drouin giving the update on the situation in Canada, and they also discussed the effects of the pandemic on the general operation of the APF’s International Secretariat. Several reports on activities were presented, and the report on activities for the Parliamentary Secretary General and the cooperation programs were considered. The Treasurer’s report on the 2019 accounts was also discussed. Lastly, the chairs of the committees and networks shared the results of their proceedings: Mr. Godin, the Chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee, gave an update on the work of his committee, including a Canadian initiative under the leadership of Mr. d’Entremont on how parliaments are operating during the pandemic. Lastly, an update was given on the status of the APF’s statute review and the APF’s regional activities.

The AdHoc Committee on Migration held a second meeting as a series in a regular discussion with the European Commission on key issues related to migration and asylum policy. Ms. Paraskevi Michou, Director-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations discussed the current state of affairs followed by a question and answer period with members of the committee. Dr. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., participated in the meeting.

At this meeting, MP Cheryl Gallant joined other members of the Committee in attendance to consider two draft reports. The first was a special report entitled “COVID-19, International Security, and the Importance of NATO’s Science and Technology Network,” and the second was a report of the Sub-Committee on Technology Trends and Security entitled “Urban Warfare.”

Dr. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., attended a meeting of the AdHoc Committee on Migration on Friday July 3. As part of the Committee’s regular discussions with the European Commission on key issues related to migration and asylum policy and as well as the situation in frontline countries, members of the committee invited top European Commission official Ms. Monique Pariat, Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs.

MP Cheryl Gallant attended this meeting, where two draft reports were discussed: one being a general initiative entitled China’s Belt and Road Initiative: A Strategic and Economic Assessment and the other a special initiative entitled The Economic Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Senator Cordy attended this meeting, where members talked about studying a draft report for advancing the “Women, Peace and Security” agenda. The committee also studied another draft report entitled The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on the Civil Dimension of Security.

Meeting of the Political Committee (PC) – June 29, 2020 The Political Committee of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) considers political issues, the rule of law in francophone countries, relations with francophone institutions, the APF’s overall priorities, and legal issues concerning its statutes and enforcement provisions. With the honourable Dennis Dawson, Senator and rapporteur of the Canadian Branch, in attendance, the committee addressed a number of topics. Rapporteurs from the Canadian Branch asked the other APF branches to answer a survey that would be sent to them about their practices in the areas being studied. The committee heard a summary of the health situation in each country represented at the meeting. Senator Dawson presented the situation in Canada to the other participants. He shared a statistical table with the number of reported COVID-19 cases and the number of deaths across Canada. He also spoke about the steps the Canadian government had taken to support the economy during the pandemic. Lastly, he described the measures in place so that the Parliament of Canada could continue meeting. The Committee also heard from Lauren Jimenez of the Political Affairs and Democratic Governance Directorate at the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF). She discussed issues involving governance and democracy during the pandemic in francophone nations and the OIF’s contributions in this area. In closing, members were given a status update on the work of the working group reviewing APF statutes. The draft agenda for its next meeting was adopted.

The Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P., President of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Executive Committee Vice-President for the 12+ geopolitical group, participated in the ongoing Extraordinary Session of the International Executive Committee by videoconference on June 26, 2020. During this meeting, the members reviewed various reports and discussed next steps. The Executive Committee oversees the administration of the IPU and makes recommendations to the IPU Governing Council on various matters.