CPA activities: the Canadian scene.

Thirty-Fourth Canadian Regional Conference

The 34th Conference of the Canadian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia from July 23 to 28, 1995.

The Conference brought together about 100 delegates and observers from the Senate, the House of Commons as well as all the provinces and territories. Included among the delegates were special guests from the British House of Commons, and the legislatures of The Bahamas, St. Vincent and the Isle of Man. The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Arthur Donahoe, was also in attendance.

The Seminar was opened by the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, John James Kinley. The Premier of Nova Scotia, John Savage, and the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Paul MacEwan, welcomed the delegates to Nova Scotia.

The First Session, chaired by Bruce Holland (Nova Scotia) dealt with the Future of the CPA and the Commonwealth. The Secretary-General briefed delegates about some of the recent developments in the Commonwealth and relations between the CPA Secretariat and the Commonwealth Secretariat. The Chairman of the CPA Executive Committee, Colin Shepard, discussed the role of CPA and mentioned the advantages of belonging to an organization that gives members a window on so many countries in the world. The Chairman of the Federal Branch of CPA, Bob Speller, also addressed the Conference and pointed out the many activities open to Canadian legislators.

The Second Session, chaired by Ross Young, (Prince Edward Island) dealt with Sexual Harassment: Process and Judgement in Cases of Alleged Harassment. The opening Speakers were Dale Lovick, (British Columbia) and Mary Clancy, MP. Both speakers made the point that power not sex was the issue and women were vulnerable to sexual harassment because they were usually not in positions of power in government, business, or labour unions. The topic stimulated vigorous discussion with some members pointing out the difficulties in developing fair process and objective standards. Others raised the issue of the backlash against women who made an issue out of sexual harassment.

The Third Session, chaired by Speaker Emery Barnes (British Columbia) dealt with the "Rules of Debate: Democracy or Dictatorship". Two of the presenters were from the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, Speaker Paul MacEwan and Robert Chisholm. The other presenter was Nick Hawkins, MP from the British House of Commons. Much of the discussion...