Two upcoming conferences in Quebec.

• Author: De Bellefeuille, Pierre

In October two major conferences dealing with parliamentary government and representative democracy will be held in Quebec. The first is a Symposium in Quebec City organized by the Association of Former Members of the National Assembly. The other is a Conference on Global Governance to be held in Montreal under the auspices of the Montreal International Forum. In this article the Chairman of the Quebec Symposium describes the purpose of that Conference and the Secretary General of the National Assembly writes about the parliamentary component of the Conference on Global Governance.

The International Symposium on the Parliamentary System in the 21st Century

Parliament is the fundamental institution of democracy. The principle of legislative autonomy has underpinned political thinking since Montesquieu. But now, with this many-faceted phenomenon we call globalization, new powers are appearing that know no borders and question the prerogatives of both centralized and federal states. Cultural diversity is also threatened, as are certain laws and regulations, notably those dealing with environmental protection and free trade.

In 1978 the late political scientist Leon Dion declared that "the struggle to reestablish the value of Parliaments may be the most relevant and promising manifestation of the battle that democracy is facing today."

Legislative power has been undergoing an erosion that has tended to distance Parliament from what it should be--a place of fundamental debate and decision-making. Certain practices, such as towing the party line and answering to whips, have been imposed, and have enabled the executive branch to dominate the legislative branch.

The six plenary sessions of the symposium will focus on the following questions:

* What are the roots of the democratic malaise?

* Is the decline of Parliament irreversible?

* Is it possible to thwart parties and individuals who defend only a single cause--their own?

* Should we limit ministerial responsibility?

* Can Parliament be reinvented?

* Can the Internet lead to a resurrection of the role?

The international symposium entitled The Parliamentary System in the 21st Century will take place at the National Assembly of Quebec from October 9 to 12, 2002.(1)

The lecturers--thinkers, politicians, and political observers from North and South America, Europe, and Africa--will debate these questions and exchange views with some two hundred attendees. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided...