Canadian Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

• Position: CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

The 45th CPA Regional Conference was held in Winnipeg from July 23-29, 2007. Approximately 80 delegates from every Canadian legislature except Ontario were in attendance. Among the special guests were Dr. William Shija, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Edna Moyle, Speaker of the Cayman Islands, and two members of the British House of Commons, Michael Connarty and Greg Knight. A number of provincial and territorial Speakers were also in attendance including Ken Kowalski (Alberta), Bill Barisoff, (British Columbia), Eugene McGinley (New Brunswick) Harvey Hodder (Newfoundland and Labrador), Paul Delorey (Northwest Territories), Cecil Clarke (Nova Scotia) Kathleen Casey (Prince Edward Island) Myron Kowalsky (Saskatchewan) and Ted Staffen (Yukon). The Conference was hosted by the Speaker of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, George Hickes.

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Following the official opening Secretary General Shija gave a presentation on the work of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. The first business session, chaired by Speaker Delorey, featured a presentation by Erin Selby MLA of Manitoba on Dealing with the Media. As a former journalist and a newly elected MLA she was able to give delegates an in depth view of how news rooms work and some valuable tips to facilitate dealing with the media.

The second session, chaired by Don Toth MLA (Saskatchewan), consisted of a presentation by Hunter Tootoo MLA of Nunavut who described the Reporting Relationship between the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut and its independent officers. He also pointed out a number of unique features of the consensus style government that is used in Canada's newest territory.

The third session, chaired by Myrna Driedger MLA (Manitoba) featured Professor David Docherty of Sir Wilfrid Laurier University. He presented some findings from an ongoing research project on Members of Parliament Who Cross the Floor.

The fourth session chaired by Mary Anne Jablonski MLA (Alberta) featured a presentation by Grahman Steele MLA of Nova Scotia. He spoke about an important but frequently misunderstood topic--the sub judice convention in a paper entitled Reconciling Free Speech and Fair Trials: What to do when a matter is Before the Courts.

The fifth session...