Senedd Visit Programme to Canada 17-20 February 2020 Delegation: Llywydd, Elin Jones MS Deputy Presiding Officer, Ann Jones MS Senedd Commissioner, Suzy Davies MS 1 Content: 1. Background and Purpose p.3 2. The Visit Programme p. 4 3. Acknowledgments p.17 4. “Reflections from Canada” by DPO Ann Jones MS p.18 Annex A – Programme Summary. P.19 2 1. Background and Purpose There has been significant engagement between the Senedd and Canada, on both a federal and provincial level, over the past decade. Some notable engagement over this period has included: - 2011 & 2014: Official visits to the Senedd by federal delegations from the Canadian Parliament. - 2014: Visit to the Senedd, led by Speaker of the Senate of Canada, the Hon Noel A. Kinsella - 2014 – First official Llywydd/Presiding Officer (Dame Rosemary Butler) led visit to Canada; with parliamentary programmes in Ottawa and the National Assembly of New Brunswick. - 2017: Visit to the Senedd by Speaker of the New Brunswick Assembly, Hon Chris Collins. Such visits have made clear that there is much in common and significant interest in learning of, and exchanging best parliamentary practice, between the Senedd and Canada’s parliaments. This 2020 visit to Canada represents one of two agreed set-piece international visits on which the Llywydd has led (the other being the 2019 visit to Africa). As with all Senedd international activity, this visit was developed to complement and deliver the work of the Commission’s Framework for International Engagement . 3 2. The Visit Programme Monday 17 February Meeting with Mr Andrew Wagstaff, Head of Welsh Government in Canada. The Ottawa programme began with an informal meeting with Andrew Wagstaff, Head of the Welsh Government’s office in Canada, which was opened in 2017and is based in Montreal, Quebec. Mr Wagstaff gave the delegation an overview of the current political situation in Canada with regard to the recent Federal election in October 2019, as well as of the Quebec Provincial election in October 2018. As part of this, he outlined the government-to-government part of the Welsh Government Office in Canada’s work which engages with both the Federal and Provincial governments (primarily the Quebec Government). This however was a relatively small part of their work, particularly at the Federal level with engagement with Ottawa focussed on soft-power areas of policy, such as: climate change (Wales joined the UK-Canada led Powering Past Coal Alliance in 2018 as an independent member), bilingualism and official languages. Discussed was the Welsh Government’s Minister for International Relations (and Welsh Language) Eluned Morgan AM’s new International Strategy, and how this applied to its work in Canada. Suzy Davies AM was keen to learn more of how the three priorities sectors named in the strategy – cybersecurity; compound semiconductor; and creative industries/quality film & television – complemented the opportunities in the Canadian market; noting that in her Region (South West Wales) marine energy capability is very strong The Welsh Government’s overall strategic vision remained agile in their individual markets and would therefore also continue to work in sectors with strong synergies to those in Wales. In Canada, these were Aerospace and marine energy. There were opportunities for Wales in the marine energy sector, and the WG had already been working with this sector, having had a presence at the Energy3 conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2019 in partnership with Marine Energy Wales; as well as working in partnership with a Canadian company at the Morlais testbed centre in Anglesey. 4 Tuesday 18 February Note: The 2014 Senedd visit programme to Ottawa included a presentation of the Canadian Parliament’s ambitious restoration programmes. These had begun in 2018 and both the original Senate and House of Commons were now in a state of renovation; a major project that was likely to last at least a decade The official parliamentary programme began with a tour of Canada’s Senate which was temporarily housed in the impressive surroundings of the Government Conference Centre (GCC) that was, until 1966, Ottawa’s Central Railway Station. Photo: Senedd delegation with Canadian Senate Tour Guide 5 Meeting with Speaker of the Senate, The Hon Mr George J Furey Q.C. Note: News of Storm Dennis, which had caused severe flooding and devastation in parts of Wales the previous week, had been covered on Canadian news. Speaker Furey expressed condolences over this; a sentiment appreciated by the Welsh delegation and one which was echoed by many others during the visit. The meeting covered a wide range of issues with Speaker Furey interested to learn more of: - the impact of Brexit on Wales and the Assembly and of the narrative of the debate (agreed by all as having been divisive); shaped differently in Wales which had voted Leave, in contrast to Scotland and Northern Ireland. - Constitutional developments within Wales and more broadly within the UK and Ireland. Within this context the Llywydd discussed the very different journeys undertaken by the respective countries and democracies within the UK. She relayed the story of the evolution of Welsh democracy and of how the current Senedd with primary law making powers (gained through the 2011 Referendum) bore little resemblance to 6 the Assembly which she and the Deputy Presiding Officer had joined at its inception in 1999. This led to a discussion on - the Senedd and Elections Act which had recently gained Royal Ascent and which would, as part of its remit, result in a change of name (to Senedd Cymru-Welsh Parliament) as well as extend the voting franchise to Young people in Wales of 16 years old from next year’s Senedd election. - The Senedd’s Business Committee, chaired by the Llywydd; and in particular the process whereby the Senedd business timetable was determined as well as how requests for topical and emergency questions were agreed or declined. The meeting ended with a discussion on the current renovations of the Canadian Senate. This major and painstaking project was expected to last some 15 years. Speaker Furey noted that he was delighted with the Senate’s new temporary home; adding that its location, in the original Ottawa Central Rail station, seemed an appropriate metaphor as a place to bring Canadians together. Meeting with Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota MP A courtesy call with the Hon Anthony Rota, who had (following the December 2019 General Election) been elected as the 37th Speaker of the House of Commons, included a discussion which covered: 7 - Contrasting traditions of the Canadian Parliament as a longstanding legislature to that of the Senedd as a far smaller and modern parliament. - Topical issues, including the Canadian Pipeline and Railway Protest; discussions around which dominated that afternoon’s Question Period (Time), as well as the TV news during the Welsh delegation’s visit to both Ottawa and Quebec. - The 25th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) which had been hosted by Canada in Ottawa in January 2020. - The competing demands and challenges of balancing the roles of Parliamentary Speakers and that of constituency work. - Climate Change and of how parliaments react to the Climate Emergency, declared by both Wales and Canada in 2019. - Official languages within the Canadian Parliament and whether this was politicised. Speaker Rota suggested that some 30% of proceedings within the HoC were in French (a figure estimated by the Llywydd to be similar to that of the Welsh Language in the Senedd). A noted difference in the way that official languages were treated in Canada was that all proceedings were, as a matter of principle, translated both ways; whereas the Llywydd explained that translations in the Senedd were only provided between Welsh to English. - Speaker Rota, as a fluent speaker of four languages, acknowledged the challenges of learning new languages for some but that every effort and provision was made to allow its Members to be able to communicate bilingually. - The Llywydd and delegation also learned of the different parliamentary systems noting, for instances, that Question Periods in Canada did not allow the opportunity for the Member asking the question to follow-up with a supplementary. An Official luncheon for the Welsh delegation was kindly hosted by Speaker Rota and attended by a cross party representation of Members of Parliament. Speaker Rota welcomed the Llywydd and Welsh delegation and noted the significant contribution which the Welsh people had made to Canadian life; commenting that some 500,000 Canadian citizens could trace their ancestry back to Wales. The Llywydd in turn thanked Speaker Rota for the warm welcome received and of the many special historical links between Wales and Canada; including the fact that the Canadian Prime Minister’s official residence had originally been named “Gorffwysfa” (a place of rest). She added how pleasing it had been to host two previous federal parliamentary delegations to the Senedd and hoped that the 8 positive relationship between our Members and parliaments could continue and flourish. Amongst the guests at the luncheon, it had been pleasing to have the opportunity to meet Ms Yasmin Ratansi MP, Chair of the Canadian Parliament’s Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA); particularly as Canada would host the 2021 Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Nova Scotia. Attendance at House of Commons Plenary The delegation was invited to sit in the Speaker’s gallery and attend that afternoon’s Question Period (which included questions to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau MP). The Llywydd was honoured by an official recognition by Speaker Rota and Members present. Twitter Video clip of Llywydd’s Recognition in Canada’s Parliament Session on Official Languages Photo: Delegation with Language Commissioner Mr Raymond Theberge and officials.