The Canadian Scene
59th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Canadian Regional Conference
From July 22-29, 2023, 61 delegates and a dozen other accompanying persons attended the 59th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Canadian Regional Conference in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Conference
On July 23, the CWP Steering Committee met for its annual meeting. The following day, CWP chair Lisa Thompson welcomed all CWP attendees and delivered her chair’s report.
Three business sessions were held. In the first session, Regina mayor Sandra Masters spoke about inspiring leadership during a session chaired by Saskatchewan MLA Colleen Young.
Susan Leblanc, a Nova Scotia MLA, chaired the next session, titled “Inspiring Tools and Supports for Women (interested in seeking elected position).” Presenters included Judy Harwood, the Reeve for the Rural Municipality of Corman Park who is also Coordinator of Saskatchewan Women in Rural Leadership (SWIRL), Tessa Ritter, Saskatchewan Director of Equal Voice, and Saskatchewan MLA Laura Ross, who serves as Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Office, and who is a past CWP Chair.
Ms. Harwood spoke about “Inspiring Women by Example,” in a third session chaired by British Columbia MLA Janet Routledge.
Finally, Ms. Thompson introduced a session named “Inspiring the Future,” which featured 11-year-old Mady Adamson. Ms. Adamson, who created a YouTube cannel called “Learning About Ag With Mady,” was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for her contribution and commitment to agriculture education.
Canadian Regional Conference
On July 25, all conference delegates were officially welcomed, and the first of six business sessions was held. Assemblée nationale President Nathalie Roy of Quebec gave a presentation titled “Between freedom of expression and cyber-violence: the use of social networks and the effects on political engagement,” in a session chaired by British Columbia Speaker Raj Chouhan.
The second session of the day featured a panel discussion on “Women in the Economy.” Chaired by Ms. Young, participants included Monique Simair, CEO and principal scientist at Maven Water and Environment, Tracy Arno, CEO and founder of Essence Recruitment Inc., a professional search firm for Western Canada, and Veronique Loewen, owner, communicator, and translator at Verolingo Communications.
The final business session of the day covered jurisdictional reports by representatives of each delegation.
On July 26, delegates began the day by listening to a message from CPA HQ presented by Secretary-General Stephen Twigg.
The fourth business session, “Members’ Orientations: What Works?” was divided into two parts. Quebec MP Marie-Hélène Gaudreau chaired the session which featured contributions from Rob Park, Principal Clerk in the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, Prince Edward Island MLA Susie Dillon, and Alberta Deputy Speaker Angela Pitt.
Following a lunch break, that afternoon members of the CPA Canadian Regional Council held their annual meeting.
On July 27, the final two sessions of the conference were held. New Brunswick Speaker Bill Oliver chaired a session titled “Debate and Decorum: Staying Above the Political Fray.” Quebec MP Alexandra Mendès, who also serves as Assistant Deputy Speaker and Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole in the House of Commons, Ontario Speaker Ted Arnott, and Alberta Speaker Nathan Cooper all shared their thoughts on how the Chair must facilitate civil debate within a parliamentary Chamber or committee room.
Finally, Erin Folk, an investigator and facilitator spoke about “Harassment in the Workplace,” in a session chaired by Saskatchewan MLA Hugh Nerlien.
During the final day of the conference, attendees had the option of visiting some of Saskatchewan’s cultural attractions, including Deep South Pioneer Museum (DSPM) in Omega, the largest community owned museum in western Canada. DSPM’s pioneer village shows visitors the evolution of prairie farming with its machinery collection, and the museum contains aboriginal artifacts dating to 10,000 years ago and fossils from millions of years ago. They also visited Southern Prairie Railway and took a “Heritage Train Ride” through the open prairies where they saw a 1922 Federal Grain Elevator.