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The parliamentary delegation of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) that attended the APF Bureau meeting in Paris, France, from February 7 to 9, 2013, has the honour to present its report. The members of the Canadian Branch delegation were the Hon. Andrée Champagne, P.C., Senator and Chair of the Canadian Branch, and the Hon. Pierre De Bané, P.C., Senator and Chair of the APF’s Parliamentary Affairs Committee. The delegation was accompanied by Mr. François Michaud, Association Secretary. In addition to the Canadian Branch, the following branches also participated in the work: Belgium/Francophone Community/Wallonia-Brussels, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Jura, Laos, Luxembourg, Morocco, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Senegal, Switzerland, Val d’Aosta and Vietnam. Bureau business In light of the retirement of Mr. Roch Christian Marc Kaboré, former APF President, from politics, the Hon. Andrée Champagne, First Vice-President of the APF, opened the meeting by introducing Mr. Soungalo Appolinaire Ouattara, President of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso and new APF President. She then conferred to him the insignia of the Grand-Croix de l’Ordre de la Pléiade, ordre de la Francophonie et du dialogue des cultures. Mr. Ouattara thanked Senator Champagne and the Bureau members for their warm welcome. He paid tribute to the memory of the Right Hon. Martial Asselin, former APF President. The agenda, as amended by the Hon. Pierre De Bané, was adopted. The minutes of the meeting held in Brussels on July 9, 2012, were adopted. The Parliamentary Secretary General presented his activity report. The Hon. Andrée Champagne questioned the Parliamentary Secretary General regarding the adoption of the APF Opinion presented to the heads of state and heads of government at the Summit of the Francophonie. The latter explained that the themes of the summits are often communicated at the last minute but agrees that the Opinion should enjoy the broadest consultation possible. The Hon. Pierre De Bané questioned the Parliamentary Secretary General on the possibility of his report containing, in the future, a special section on relations with the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). The Parliamentary Secretary General mentioned that relations with the OIF were very good and that the senator’s suggestion had merit. Budget Mr. Michel Wolter, Member of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg) and APF Treasurer, presented his report, which included a reduced APF budget. The budget was passed after debate. Committee business Mr. André Schneider, Deputy (France) and Chair of the Political Committee, presented the report on activities for his Committee. Mr. Didier Berberat, State Councillor (Switzerland), presented the report for the Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee, of which he is the Chair. The Hon. Senator Pierre De Bané (Canada), Chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee, presented that committee’s report. Lastly, Ms. Yetta Sow, Member of the National Assembly (Senegal) presented the report of the Co-operation and Development Committee. Update on the work of the Network of Women Parliamentarians Ms. Françoise Bertiaux, Representative of Belgium/Francophone Community/ Wallonia-Brussels and Chair of the Network of Women Parliamentarians, presented the Network’s report on activities. Reports from the regional Chargés de mission Mr. Serge Robichaud, MLA (New Brunswick), presented the activity report for the region on behalf of the Chargé de mission for the Americans, Mr. Yvon Bonenfant, MLA (New Brunswick). Mr. Bayo Célestin Koussoube, Member of the National Assembly (Burkina Faso), presented the report for the Africa Region and Ms. Boungnong Boupha, Member of the National Assembly (Laos), and Chargé de mission, presented on behalf of the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Jean-Paul Wahl, Representative of Belgium/Francophone Community/Wallonia-Brussels and Chargé de mission for the Europe Region, also presented his region’s report. Preparations for the XXXIXth Session of the APF Mr. Guillaume Soro, President of the National Assembly (Côte d’Ivoire), gave a brief overview of the preparations for the annual session of the APF in July 2013. The Parliamentary Secretary General informed the members of the new provisions pertaining to the statement by the Secretary General of the OIF, Mr. Abdou Diouf, at the upcoming annual sessions. Overview of the political situation in various countries The Bureau examined the political situations in the Francophone world that were of concern to parliamentarians. The Bureau made declarations about the following countries: Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria and Tunisia. These declarations are available (in French only) at http://www.apf.francophonie.org/spip.php?article1746. Multilateral initiative for parliamentary cooperation The Parliamentary Secretary General presented this project. Responding to a question from the Hon. Pierre De Bané, the Parliamentary Secretary General confirmed that the APF’s Parliamentary Affairs Committee would oversee the project. Parlement francophone des jeunes The Parliamentary Secretary General presented the Parlement francophone des jeunes (PFJ) project, the francophone youth parliament that will take place in Abidjan in July 2013. The Hon. Andrée Champagne asked for clarification on travel expenses for the participants. It was decided that the organizing committee would be asked to work within a very strict budget. APF-OIF framework agreement The Political Committee was mandated to draft an update to this framework agreement. APF Award at the Games of La Francophonie The Parliamentary Secretary General discussed the status of this award. The Hon. Andrée Champagne asked a number of questions. It was decided that the award would be presented for the last time in Nice in September 2013. Other business The Hon. Pierre De Bané told his colleagues that this would be his last Bureau meeting as he would be retiring in August 2013. He thanked the President of the Canadian Branch for placing her trust in him, and thanked the vice-presidents of the France Branch, including Ms. Michèle André, who had sat on the Parliamentary Affairs Committee with him. He also thanked the Parliamentary Secretary General, the Administrative Secretary General and all the advisors on the APF General Secretariat. He suggested that the Secretariat contact the secretariats of the member branches 45 days before the Bureau meeting to discuss the draft agenda and also suggested that the APF examine the issue of OIF funding in greater depth. The Hon. Andrée Champagne thanked Senator De Bané for his kind words, wished him well in retirement and told Bureau members that the Canadian Branch would name Senator De Bané’s successor in the near future. Senator Michèle André (France) and the Parliamentary Secretary General paid tribute to Senator De Bané. Ms. Marie-Joséphine Diallo, Secretary General of the National Assembly (Senegal), presented the report of the Association of Secretaries General of la Francophonie. Bilateral meeting The Hon. Andrée Champagne took part in a bilateral meeting with Mr. Guillaume Soro, President of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire. She then gave an interview to Côte d’Ivoire’s first television network. For more information on this Bureau meeting, please visit http://www.apf.francophonie.org/spip.php?rubrique160 (in French only). Thanks to its participation in this Bureau meeting, the Canadian Branch was able to achieve its objectives: to meet its international obligations, to defend the Canadian Branch’s budget interests, to strengthen international ties and to defend its interests.
Respectfully submitted,
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