Parliamentary Diplomacy

PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY OCCASIONAL PAPERS ON PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNMENT NUMBER 16/MAY 2003 OCCASIONAL PAPERS ON In This Issue... PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNMENT Canadian MPs and Senators now participate regularly in interparliamentary activities, to such an extent that parliamentary diplomacy has become a recognized Occasional Papers on Parliamentary Government are function of elected members. The Canadian Parliament has written, edited and published at the Parliamentary Centre, an joined virtually all interparliamentary associations and has independent, non-profit organization. The missions of the formed bilateral links with the legislatures of a number of Centre include: assisting parliamentarians, in Canada and abroad, to develop their understanding of external relations; countries. helping parliaments to function more effectively; con- tributing to the professional development of parliamentarians Compared to most European and some other parliaments and parliamentary staff; and supporting democratic which usually appoint parliamentarians as delegates to an development worldwide. association for the life of their legislatures, the practice in Editor Production Canada is to appoint delegates a year at a time. As a result, Peter C. Dobell Kim Caldwell save for the elected heads of Canadian branches of Distribution interparliamentary associations who are generally re- Kim Caldwell appointed each year that they hold that position, few other Parliamentary Centre Canadian members have the opportunity regularly to Board of Directors attend meetings of an association over several years. Mr. David Golden, Chairman Without this experience it is very difficult for members to The Honourable Raynell Andreychuk, Senator Mr. Dennis Apedaile become well acquainted with delegates from other Mr. Bill Blaikie, MP countries, to learn about the issues that the organization The Honourable Herb Breau, PC deals with and to become familiar with the procedures of Mr. Brian Crane Ms. Raymonde Folco, MP the association. The Honourable Jean-Robert Gauthier Mr. Gurmant Grewal, MP If some members with a demonstrated interest were Mr. Jean-Marc Hamel appointed for the life of a Parliament to represent Canada Mr. Arthur Kroeger at an association, they should be able to promote Canadian Ms. Anne Lamont Mr. Richard Marceau interests in that organization. It should also provide them Dr. Keith Martin, M.D., MP with a rewarding career path. This proposal and a number Mr. Robert Marleau of others are offered in this issue of the magazine in the Mr. Michael Murphy The Honourable Lucie Pépin, Senator hope of strengthening Canada’s participation in Mr. David Pratt, MP interparliamentary activity. The Honourable Marcel Prud’homme, PC Mr. David J. Schijns The Honourable Mitchell Sharp, PC Mr. Robert Speller, MP Mr. Greg Traversy Mr. John Williams, MP TABLE OF CONTENTS Dr. David Zussman Parliamentary Diplomacy: A Career Path for ...... 3 Address for copies (at a charge of $5.00 each) and other some Members of Parliament? correspondence: 255 Albert Street, Suite 802, Ottawa, The Growth of Inter-parliamentary Activities .... 5 Ontario K1P 6A9. Correspondence concerning material appearing in Occasional Papers on Parliamentary The Situation in Canada .............................................. 7 Government, as well as contributions for publication, should a) Inter-parliamentary Associations .......................... 7 be sent to the Editor. Comments by telephone are also welcome at (613) 237-0143 ext. 300. Material appearing in b) Bilateral Associations ............................................... 9 Occasional Papers on Parliamentary Government may be c) Other Opportunities.............................................. 10 reproduced only with the permission of the Editor. All unsigned material is written by the editorial staff. Innovative Ways to Involve Members in ............. 13 Parliamentary Diplomacy © 2003 Parliamentary Centre Conclusions and Recommendations ..................... 15 Annex A: Inter-Parliamentary Associations ....... 17 Annex B: Friendship Groups.................................... 18 Printed by: Allegra Print & Imaging, 278 Albert St., Ottawa Parliamentary CartoonGovernment by Anthony Jenkins ISSN 0709-4582 PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY A Career Path for Some Members of Parliament? Diplomacy used to be the preserve of the Executive. groups and some thirty unofficial friendship groups, While Members of Parliament occasionally debated none of which are funded by the legislature. In foreign policy issues, they lacked opportunities for addition Members of Parliament may gain personal involvement. That is no longer the case. international exposure through travel abroad Canadian Members now regularly meet in many undertaken by standing committees. A novel international forums, exchange views with colleagues organization, the Global Organization of from other legislatures and occasionally are even Parliamentarians against Corruption, has ambitious invited to in a personal capacity to study a situation plans for setting up networks of parliamentarians abroad or take part in diplomatic missions. to pursue regional policies for combating corruption. Finally, a number of NGO’s undertaking democratic The principal vehicles in Canada for what has development programs invite Members of become known as parliamentary diplomacy are six Parliament to participate in suitable program inter-parliamentary associations and five bilateral activities abroad. As a result of all these associations, all of which are funded by Parliament. developments, the opportunities for legislators to (The eleven associations are listed in annex A along engage in parliamentary diplomacy have expanded with the some other inter-parliamentary and bilateral rapidly and substantially. groups that are comprehended for administrative and budgetary purposes under one or other of the In April, 2002, Bernard Patry MP, the chair of the associations). These bodies hold one or more Canadian Branch and vice-chair of the Assemblée plenary sessions each year as well as organizing parlementaire de la Francophonie Association, study visits by committees and other events. Within organized and chaired an all-day symposium on the Parliament there are also three official friendship Hill entitled Parliamentary Diplomacy: The Emerging Role Occasional Papers on Parliamentary Government 3 for Parliamentarians in Diplomacy, surely a demonstration activities. Only those fortunate members who are re- of how widely accepted the concept now is. appointed for a number of years have the opportunity to become familiar with the issues and get to know Unfortunately, despite the increased level of activity, parliamentarians from other countries – conditions relatively few Canadian Members of Parliament gain that are necessary for effective engagement. the range and depth of opportunity to engage in parliamentary diplomacy that are enjoyed by The extended appointments enjoyed by parliamentarians in many other legislatures which parliamentarians in many other countries enable them regularly appoint delegates for the full term of their to set goals and to concentrate their attention, election, that is for four or five years. By contrast, thereby creating what is in effect a parliamentary the usual practice in Canada is to appoint members career path. Very few Canadian Members enjoy the as delegates to a single inter-parliamentary meeting. same opportunity. A few Canadian members are selected for a second or even a third year, usually the chairs of the associations and those elected to office in an inter- The extended appointments enjoyed by parliamentary association. Some members of parliamentarians in many other countries opposition parties have, with their whip’s approval, enable them to...create what is in effect also been regularly re-appointed to specific a parliamentary career path delegations, having demonstrated to their whip’s satisfaction that participation in meetings of that This paper will first examine how opportunities for association helps them in their critic function. In parliamentary diplomacy have evolved and review return they usually undertake not to seek appointment some of the limitations of current practice in Canada. to any other inter-parliamentary delegations. We shall conclude by suggesting how changing However, delegates are not actually re-selected until certain practices could increase the opportunities the delegation is formed the next year. Not open to Canadian Members, make possible a more surprisingly, the uncertainty can constrain their effective contribution by them and give them greater involvement in planning for the following year’s career satisfaction. 4 Occasional Papers on Parliamentary Government THE GROWTH OF INTERPARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITIES Toward the end of the nineteenth century the 1980 and the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the combined impact of the growing role of parliaments Americas in 2001. At the bilateral level, in addition in governmental processes in Europe and the to the link with the US Congress, associations were development of easy travel by railways led to the established with the Assemblée nationale of France formation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 1889, in 1965, the Japanese Diet in 1985, the United the granddaddy of inter-parliamentary bodies. Kingdom Parliament in 1998 and the Chinese Canada joined in 1900. The Commonwealth National Peoples Congress, also in 1998. Parliamentary Association – initially known as the The authority and autonomy of these multilateral

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