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The International Relations of the National Assembly of Quebec by Louise Harel, Speaker of Quebec National Assembly The National Assembly of Quebec is one of the oldest parliamentary institutions in 2003 CanLIIDocs 263 North America. Through the years it has developed many contacts with foreign Par- liaments as well as with a variety of interparliamentary organizations. In so doing the National Assembly participates in many international activities, contributing thereby to Quebec's outreach abroad. This article presents an up-to-date picture of the international relations of the National Assembly, first by defining their field of action and their distinguishing features, then by explaining how they are conducted, by defining their objectives, and finally by stating the priorities for action. he changes that turn to find immediate solutions when, for example, jobs have occurred on are lost because of a decision taken by the board of Tthe world stage, directors of a large multinational enterprise meeting particularly since the early thousands of kilometers away? Are they not the very 1990s, have influenced the ones who, as the custodians of the popular legitimacy international stance our conferred upon them through their election by universal Assembly has adopted. suffrage, can make good the democratic deficit that is so The internationalization often decried in convection with major international of exchanges together trade negotiations? with the volume of the information available and In this context parliamentary institutions must, more the speed with which it than ever, occupy the field of interparliamentary and in- circulates, now act upon ternational relations, in particular by strengthening the every dimension of public ties among Assemblies and by intervening in the major life in contemporary political issues of our world. Parliamentary diplomacy, societies and are of whose necessity and versatility are increasingly ac- concern to the entire political class worldwide. That is all knowledged by governments and intergovernmental or- the more true of parliamentary institutions. Is it not the ganizations, is accordingly becoming a key instrument duty of elected officials to step to the fore when the through which elected officials can assume control over well-being of their fellow citizens is affected directly, and the international dimension of their representative func- sometimes harshly, by globalisation? Ought they not to tion. The National Assembly of Quebec, which is proud be the intermediaries to whom citizens spontaneously of the international expertise it has developed over the years, intends to be a major partner in this field. Louise Harel represents Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in the Quebec National Assembly. She has been Speaker of the Assembly since March 12, 2002, the first woman ever to hold that position. 4 CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW /SPRING 2003 The International Activity of Parliaments: Its Field of parliamentarian. Indeed, in their capacity as elected rep- Action and Distinguishing Features resentatives of the population and on the strength of the democratic authority they thereby enjoy, parliamentari- The expression "interparliamentary relations" usually ans wield considerable power of influence to voice the denotes the international relations carried on by the leg- needs, concerns, and interests of the society they repre- islative branch of a state. These relations are conducted sent. first and foremost among Parliaments themselves, either on a bilateral basis or within well-structured networks of The Conduct of the International Relations of the Na- multilateral interparliamentary organizations. The latter tional Assembly bring together Parliaments on either a regional basis (the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum), a global basis (the Like a number of other Parliaments, the National Assem- Inter-Parliamentary Union), or a sectorial basis (the bly of Quebec places the responsibility for its interna- Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie or the tional relations in the hands of the Chair of the Assembly. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association). Standing Order 1 of the National Assembly even identi- While the ties among Parliaments are their essential fies it as one of the three powers of the Chair: 2003 CanLIIDocs 263 component, the international relations of the legislative The President shall chair the meetings of the National branch are not limited to these alone. Indeed, Parla- Assembly and direct its services; he shall likewise ments also carry on relations with various international represent it, most particularly in its relations with other Parliaments. intergovernmental and non governmental organizations as well as with the members of the diplomatic and con- The Speaker (President) thus directs the international sular corps. relations of the Assembly, sets their priorities, and orga- The first principle underlying the international activ- nizes their implementation. ity of Parliament, and from which it derives its distinc- Faced with the significant evolution that has occurred tiveness, is independence of action. In our democratic in the international activities of the National Assembly systems based on the separation of powers Parliaments during the past ten years, the Chair has created a struc- act independently when conducting their international ture to assist it in conducting the Assembly's interna- relations. This independence leads them to pursue objec- tional relations. This structure consists of "sections" or tives, to choose partners, to apply principles, and to lend "delegations" of the National Assembly of Quebec for their activities a style and a pace that are fundamentally interparliamentary relations. It has the advantage of en- congruous with their primary functions, namely to enact suring the cohesion and the continuity of the interna- legislation, to oversee government activity, to consider tional activities of the National Assembly by entrusting matters of public interest, and to represent the popula- to Members of the Assembly (MNAs), notably, the re- tion. sponsibility for following through on specific matters. In tandem with independence of action is a second The sections or delegations are called upon to carry for- principle that likewise forms the groundwork of the in- ward the Assembly's relations with a given country, re- ternational action of Parliaments and makes it unique: It gion, or interparliamentary organization or in a is a respect for political pluralism. The international rela- particular sector of activity (for example, tions of Parliaments generally take into account the inter- interparliamentary cooperation). As soon as they are ests and political sensitivities of the various parties elected, MNAs are offered the opportunity to join three represented within them. This principle manifests itself sections or delegations, according to their preferences. concretely in the creation of pluralistic delegations to Each section or delegation comprises some fifteen take part in interparliamentary activities. Thus, a parlia- MNAs and has a steering committee made up of four mentary delegation will as a general rule comprise par- parliamentarians: the Speaker of the National Assembly, liamentarians from the various political groups the president of the section or delegation, and two represented in the House, both those in power and those vice-presidents drawn from the two main political par- in opposition. This approach safeguards the nonpartisan ties represented in the Assembly. The steering committee nature of interparliamentary activities, since the diverse oversees the preparations for and the followup to the ac- points of view present in society can find expression tivities of the section or delegation. Each section has at its within them. disposai the services of an administrative secretary cho- These two fundamental characteristics, independence sen from the staff of the Interparliamentary and Interna- of action and a respect for political pluralism, also ensure tional Relations Branch. the legitimacy of the international activity of Parliaments The appointment of MNAs to sit on the steering com- above and beyond the credibility inherent in the office of mittees, to conduct missions abroad, or to join in the host SPRING 2003 / CANAD1AN PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW 5 delegations that receive foreign visitors at the National partner Assemblies. To date these activities have been Assembly is the prerogative of the Speaker. In practice carried out in collaboration with the National Assemblies of Benin,close Burkina Faso, Haiti, Madagascar, the Speaker of the National Assembly makes these ap- Mali, and Niger. pointm ents in consultation with the Whips of the two major political parties. In the British parliamentary sys- tem the Whips, as important parliamentary figures, are The Objectives of the International Relations of the responsible for coordinating the participation of Mem- National Assembly of Quebec bers in the various facets of parliamentary business, par- ticularly their presence in the House and in The participation of the National Assembly of Quebec in parliamentary committees. At the request of the Chair multilateral interparliamentary organizations and the the Whips accordingly suggest the names of MN-As for bilateral relations it entertains with foreign Parliaments each of the international activities or positions. However, are configured around four major axes: the Chair retains full discretion to accept or refuse the suggestions put forward by the Whips.

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