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,
Hon. Donald Neil Plett, Senator Co-Chair, Canada-China
Legislative Association
Mike Wallace, M.P.,
Co-Chair, Canada-Japan
Inter‑Parliamentary Group