CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene Vol 35 No 4

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

Thirty Fourth Canadian Regional Seminar

The 34th Seminar of the Canadian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was held in Edmonton from October 11-14, 2012. Twenty-nine legislators from most Canadian jurisdictions attended. Only Quebec, Yukon and the federal Parliament were unable to send delegates.

The Seminar was hosted by Alberta Speaker Gene Zwozdesky and Deputy Speaker George Rogers. Other Speakers in attendance were Bill Barisoff, British Columbia, Daryl Reid, Manitoba, Gordie Gosse, Nova Scotia, Carolyn Bertram, Prince Edward Island, Dale Graham, New Brunswick, Jackie Jacobson, Northwest Territories and Hunter Tootoo, Nunavut.

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CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene Vol 35 No 3

Article 12 / 12 , Vol 35 No 3 (Autumn)

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

50th CPA Conference

The 50th Conference of the Canadian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was opened by Jacques Chagnon, President of the Québec National Assembly and Chairman of the Québec Branch of the CPA on July 17, 2012.

The Vice-Chair of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga of Uganda, brought greetings from that organization and Sir Alan Haselhurst spoke on behalf of the Executive Committee of CPA.

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CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene Vol 35 No 1

Article 10 / 10 , Vol 35 No 1 (Spring)

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

New Speakers in Yukon and Saskatchewan

On December 1, 2011 David Laxton, MLA for Porter Creek Centre, was elected as the 23rd Speaker of the Yukon Legislative Assembly. He was first elected to the legislature on October 11, 2011.

Mr. Laxton has lived in Whitehorse since moving to Yukon in 1998. During his time in Yukon, he has been employed by the federal and territorial governments doing geomatics work and website development. Prior to arriving in Yukon, he served 22 years with the Canadian Armed Forces, primarily with the Lord Strathcona Horse (Royal Canadians) and the Mapping and Charting Establishment. His military service included three United Nations postings, one in Egypt and two in Bosnia. He also carried out major survey work in the High Arctic and regional gravity surveys across Yukon.

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CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

Article 12 / 12 , Vol 34 No 4 (Winter)

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

33rd CPA Canadian Regional Seminar New Brunswick

Despite all the recent provincial and territorial elections, the 33rd Canadian Regional Seminar of the CPA was held in Fredericton from November 3-6, 2011. Twenty-one legislators from the Senate and from nine provinces and territories attended.

The seminar was hosted by Speaker Dale Graham of New Brunswick. Other Speakers present included Bill Barisoff of British Columbia, Gordie Gosse of Nova Scotia, Hunter Tootoo of Nunavut and Steve Peters of Ontario.

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CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

Article 12 / 12 , Vol 34 No 3 (Autumn)

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

Forty-Ninth Canadian Regional Conference

The 49th Regional Conference was held in Charlottetown, PEI from July 13-19, 2011. More than eighty federal, provincial, territorial and international delegates attended the conference which was host by Speaker Kathleen Casey of Prince Edward Island. Other Speakers in attendance included George Hickes (Manitoba), Roger Fitzgerald (Newfoundland and Labrador), Bill Barisoff (British Columbia), Dale Graham (New Brunswick), Ken Kowalski (Alberta), Don Toth (Saskatchewan), Steve Peters (Ontario), Gordie Gosse (Nova Scotia), Paul Delorey (Northwest Territories) and Hunter Tootoo (Nunavut).

Special guests included David Jones, Deputy (Guernsey), Greg Aplin MP (New South Wales), Speaker M.R. Polley (Tasmania), Senator Danny Maharaj (Trinidad and Tobago), John Hyde, MLA (Western Australia), Shakila Abdalla MP (Kenya) and Waruna Bandara Dhammika Dasanayake, Deputy Secretary General of Parliament in Sri Lanka.

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CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

Article 11 / 11 , Vol 34 No 2 (Summer)

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

New Speaker in Québec

On April 5, 2011, Jacques Chagnon was elected Speaker of the Québec National Assembly replacing Yvon Vallières who resigned.

M. Chagnon was first elected as to the National Assembly for the riding of Saint-Louis in 1985 and re-elected in 1989, 1994 (in the new riding of Westmount–Saint-Louis), 1998, 2003 and 2007.

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CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

Article 10 / 10 , Vol 34 No 1 (Spring)

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

New Speaker in Nova Scotia

On January 18, 2011 Gordie Gosse was elected Speaker of the Nova Scotia legislature during a special one-day sitting of the House. The previous Speaker, Charlie Parker, resigned from the position when he was named Minister of Natural Resources and Energy.

Speaker Gosse is a life-long resident of Whitney Pier. In 2003 he became the MLA for Cape Breton Nova. He was re-elected in 2006 and again in 2009.

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CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

Article 11 / 11 , Vol 33 No 4 (Winter)

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

Thirty-Second Canadian Regional Seminar

The annual seminar of the Canadian Region of CPA took place in Toronto from October 21-24, 2010. The host was Speaker Steve Peters of the Ontario Legislative Assembly. A number of other Speakers attended including George Hickes (Manitoba), Roger Fitzgerald (Newfoundland and Labrador) and Paul Delorey (Northwest Territories. A total of 34 delegates and observers attended from every Canadian jurisdiction except Nunavut, Yukon and Québec.

Following the Official Opening the first business session dealt with Backbench Private Members’ Bills: A Waste of Time or Not? The presenter was Cheri DiNovo, MPP (Ontario). The Chair was Rick Borotsik, MLA (Manitoba).

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CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene Vol 33 No 3

Article 12 / 13 , Vol 33 No 3 (Autumn)

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

48th Regional Conference, Regina

The annual Conference of the Canadian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was held in Regina from July 12-17, 2010. Speaker Don Toth of Saskatchewan was host for the Conference.

Speaker Toth noted the presence of several special guests including David Broom from the CPA Secretariat in London and several legislators from Commonwealth countries including Waruna Bandara Dasanayake from Sri Lanka, Marie Andrews from New South Wales, Brian Ellis from West Australia and Reredo Tetaake Eria from Kiribat.

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CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene Vol 33 No 1

Article 12 / 13 , Vol 33 No 1 (Spring)

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

Presiding Officers Conference

Approximately fifty delegates and observers attended the 27th Conference of Presiding Officers which took place in Whitehorse, Yukon from January 21-24, 2010. Every jurisdiction except New Brunswick was represented.

The host of the Conference was Speaker Ted Staffen of Yukon. Among the other Speakers in attendance were: George Hickes (Manitoba), Roger Fitzgerald (Newfoundland and Labrador). Steve Peters (Ontario) Kathleen Casey (Prince Edward Island), Paul Delorey (Northwest Territories), Bill Barisoff (British Columbia), Don Toth (Saskatchewan), Charlie Parker (Nova Scotia), James Arreak (Nunavut), Peter Milliken (House of Commons), and Rose-Marie Losier-Cool (Speaker pro tempore, Senate).

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