Participation of the Honourable Raymonde Gagné, Speaker of the Senate, and Mr. Chris d’Entremont, M.P., Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, on behalf of the Honourable Anthony Rota, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, to the 30th Annual Session of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), Vancouver, British Columbia

 

From June 30 to July 4, 2023, the Honourable Raymonde Gagné, Speaker of the Senate, and Mr. Chris d’Entremont, M.P., Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, participated in the 30th Annual Session of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), in Vancouver, B.C.

The theme for the Annual Session was “Strengthening Regional Security by Fostering Democratic and Inclusive Societies: The Role of the OSCE PA”. The Annual Session, hosted by the Parliament of Canada, was attended by over 300 Parliamentarians. Speaker Gagné and Mr. d’Entremont served as co-hosts.

Following several days of meetings, debates and committee work, the Annual Session culminated in the adoption of the Vancouver Declaration on July 4, containing recommendations to OSCE Ministers, parliaments and the international community. The Annual Session focused largely on the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine and its related political, security and humanitarian impacts.

During the event, both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker conducted bilateral meetings with their counterparts and had the opportunity to informally exchange with several Members of Parliament from other legislatures.