CPA activities: the Canadian scene.

The annual meeting of the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was held on November 17, 2004. The main purpose of the meeting was the election of a Chair and a new Executive.

Sarmite Bulte was re-elected as Chair of the Canadian Branch. First elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament in 1997, Ms. Bulte represents Parkdale-High Park in the House of Commons. She is a former Chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and Chair of the Sub-Committee of International Trade, Trade Disputes and Investment. In August 2000 she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and re-appointed to this position after the 2004 election. She served as Canadian Regional Representative on the International Executive of the CPA from 2000 to 2003.

Federal Branch Activities

The level of activity during the last year has reflected the impact of the federal general election and the fact that Canada hosted the 50th CPA Conference which turned out to be the largest CPA Conference ever with more than 640 participants. It was also an historic one with the election of the first Chair of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Lindiwe Maseko MPL, Gauteng, South Africa. A series of constitutional amendments were also adopted which opens a seat on the International Executive Committee...