CPA (Commonwealth Parliamentary Association) activities: the Canadian scene.

Thirty-sixth Regional Conference, Regina

Approximately sixty-five parliamentarians from across Canada, representing a cross section of political parties gathered in Regina from July 12-18 for the 36th Canadian Regional Conference of the Commonwealth parliamentary Association. The host of the Conference was Speaker Glenn Hagel of Saskatchewan. A number of other provincial and territorial Speakers were also in attendance including Ken Kowalski (Alberta), Lloyd Snow (Newfoundland), Sam Gargan (Northwest Territories), Wayne Gaudet (Nova Scotia) and Robert Bruce (Yukon).

Also in attendance was Eric Pickles from the British House of Commons, Emily Sauders, a Member of the Legislative Council of the Turks & Caicos Islands and Andrew Imlach representing the CPA Secretartiat in London. The Conference took place in the Legislative Assembly Chamber where it was officially opened by Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow.

Saskatchewan is known for its innovative spirit both in public policy and parliamentary government. This spirit was very much present in the organization of the Conference as well. For the first time proceedings were televised live across the province on the provincial cable network. They were also rebroadcast nationally in both English and French on CPAC.

Another precedent was a professional development workshop led by Lee Morrison on "Political Personalities: Is there a quintessential temperament?" Delegates were asked to fill in a Myers-Briggs questionnaire designed to help them discover and use their strengths, improve communication and understand others.

The first topic for the business session, chaired by Richie Hubbard (Nova Scotia) was "Women Parliamentarians: Is there a Path to a Gender-balanced Parliament?" The lead Speaker was Jane Groenewegen, (NWT). She said the key to attracting more women into politics was to make political life more compatible with family life.

Another session, chaired by Speaker Snow, dealt with "Increasing Public Respect for the Parliamentary Institution: Is it time for more outreach?" The panellists were Speaker Hagel, and LeRoy Johnson, (Alberta). Speaker Hagel outlined the ambitious outreach programme undertaken by his province (See Canadian Parliamentary Review vol. 20 No. 2 Summer 1997 pp. 2-3). Other members discussed what was being done in their jurisdictions.

Russell MacNeil, (Nova Scotia) chaired a session on "Devolution of Programme Responsibilities: Community Empowerment or Fiscal Downloading?"...