The International Relations of the National Assembly of

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.

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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

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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. • Maintaining and strengthening the effectiveness of the It is with the underpinning provided by this structure parliarnentary institution and of elected that the National Assembly conducts its international ac- representatives in their duties of enacting legislation, 2003 CanLIIDocs 263 tivities, which may be grouped in three broad categories, overseeing government activity, considering matters of public interest, and representing the population; as follows: • Active participation by the National Assembly in building a global community based on democracy, Multilateral activities peace, justice, and prosperity; • Improving the international stance of the National • Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie; Assembly and broadening the outreach of Quebec • Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; society; • Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas; • Fostering the institutional outreach of the National Assembly within interparliamentary networks. • Council of State Governments; • National Conference of State Legislatures. The National Assembly pursues a certain number of Bilateral relations specific objectives relating to the particular nature of each organization to which it belongs. The National Assembly of Quebec has signed agree- Over the years the National Assembly has committed ments with: itself in greater depth in certain fields whose social and universal scope are of major significance for the interna- tional community. We thus have been very active in tak- • France (National Assembly and Senate); ing into account the interests of the young generations • Bavaria; regarding the future, in particular by initiating and host- • the Central American Parliament; ing, in July 2001, the first Francophone Youth Parlia- • the French-speaking community of Belgium; ment, carried out in close cooperation with the • Brazil; Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie and the • Catalonia; Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. During • California; that event more than 80 young people from all the conti- • Niger; nents of La Francophonie gave expression to their con- • Ontario; cerns in a "Charter of the Young Francophone Citizen of • Wallonia. the Twenty-First Century," which was tabled before the heads of state and government of La Francophonie at Interparliamentary cooperation their Summit in Beirut last October 18. In the same spirit the National Assembly of Quebec hosted the World Youth Parliament for Water this past • The interparliamentary cooperation program of the National Assembly of Quebec, which has been November 22. More than 75 young participants aged 14 particularly active since 1996, has led to the conception to 18 from 27 countries on all five continents, where wa- and execution of a number of programs, seminars, ter resources are polluted or at risk of becoming so, gath- information workshops, exchanges, and training and ered to share their concerns on the themes of access to professional development initiatives intended for both water, water purification, water governance, and inter- the parliamentarians and the administrative staff of national solidarity in the management of water. The leg-

6 CANADIANPARLIAMENTARY REVIEW /SPRING 2003 islative proposai that was passed in by the ever a response to the socioeconomic constraints arising World Youth Parliament for Water will be presented at out of the international environnent that affect our soci- the World Assembly of Water Wisdom Initiative, which eties from day to day. Parliamentary institutions and will meet in Kyoto during the Third World Forum on elected Members can, and must, act as mediators be- Water in March 2003. To this end a young parliamentar- tween the international environment and the regions, ian from Quebec presented the legislative proposai to the communities, localities, and citizens they represent. It is Japanese delegation of young parliamentarians, who of- their duty to ensure that their voices are heard not only ficially transmitted it to the Japanese delegate to the by their colleagues in other parliamentary and World Assembly of the Water Wisdom Initiative. interparliamentary institutions but also by The National Assembly has also taken an interest in nongovernmental, governmental, and intergovernmen- the presence of women in the political sphere. Although tal organizations that can influence local issues. they occupy an increasing number of official positions This parliamentary diplomatie activity can also bear and seats as elected representatives and are bringing fruit in promoting parliamentary democracy, which has about noteworthy changes in the various institutional become a necessity in a world in which the inequalities structures and in the setting of government priorities, between wealthy countries and less privileged countries women remain a minority within these bodies. Indeed, ought no longer to be tolerated. The ability of citizens to 2003 CanLIIDocs 263 they continue to be underrepresented in parliamentary choose their leaders freely, to influence the political institutions. Even though their number has quadrupled agenda, to oversee their government through legiti- during the past 50 years, they still account for only 13.8% mately elected parliamentarians, and to pursue an effec- of elected representatives worldwide, whereas they form tive and operative legislative process is the most reliable 52% of the population. The National Assembly has ac- guarantee that political stability and a more equitable cordingly invested a great deal of energy over the years sharing of the collective wealth will be secured. Through in contributing to the creation and the interparliamentary cooperation Quebec parliamentari- institutionalization of networks of women parliamentar- ans are thus able, in a dynamic of reciprocal sharing, to ians, most particularly within the Assemblée assist their counterparts in Parliaments that are undergo- parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) and the Parlia- ing democratic consolidation, thereby simultaneously mentary Confederation of the Americas (COPA), while strengthening democratic institutions and democratic remaining very active in the Women's Network of the processes. What is more, the international activity of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. The initia- National Assembly of Quebec will contribute to a more tives undertaken by these networks include holding the promising and equitable future for the younger genera- first APF seminar for women parliamentarians in Africa tions and for women. in the spring of 2003. As well, they not only are develop- Having returned from Beirut, where I had the plea- ing a documentary bank on women within the frame- sure, as President of the Assemblée parlementaire de la work of the COPA that will monitor legislative measures Francophonie, of representing the parliamentary branch on women's rights adopted in various countries repre- of La Francophonie before the heads of state and govern- sented by the members of the network but also are estab- ment meeting for their Ninth Summit, I consider it to be lishing a large number of Internet links and electronic more important than ever for Parliaments to move deci- resources on the status of women in the Americas and on sively to occupy the field of international relations. Will the other continents. such a course of action not enable us to offset, at least in part, the oft-criticized democratic deficit surrounding Conclusion major international negotiations? I sincerely believe it will. In the present context, in which governmental and demo- cratic structures have been weakened by globalization, the international activity of Parliaments is more than

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