Canada

Parliament of Canada, Ottawa

Key Facts

Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II

Joined the Commonwealth: 1931

Capital City (location of Parliament): Ottawa

Unicameral/Bicameral: Bicameral - House of Commons (308) and Senate (105)

Further Information:

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CPA UK and Canada

CPA UK and CPA Canada have a long history of facilitating successful thematic parliamentary bilateral delegations on behalf of their respective Legislatures. Delegation visits are being planned for both 2022 and 2023.

In 2021, CPA UK and its partners at the Canada-United Kingdom Parliamentary Association (RUUK) organised a series of virtual Forums between Canadian and UK parliamentarians to discuss topical issues of UK-Canada relations, security and trade.

In 2016, a Canadian delegation visited the UK Parliament. CPA UK conducted a parliamentary delegation to Ottawa and Quebec in October 2016, which aimed to build UK parliamentarians' knowledge of Canada's approach to devolution, women's representation, climate change and parliamentary modernisation.

CPA UK and Canadian Provincial Legislatures

CPA UK has a strong relationship with Canada's Provincial Legislatures, most recently welcoming parliamentarians to the 2022 Westminster Seminar from the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, the National Assembly of Québec and the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

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Our Recent Programmes

Westminster Seminar on Evolving Parliaments 2022, UK Parliament & Virtual, 14-18 March 2022

CPA UK hosted the Westminster Seminar, our flagship peer-to-peer learning programme for parliamentarians and clerks from across the Commonwealth.

We celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Westminster Seminar, a series focused on parliamentary procedure and practice that started in 1952. To encourage greater inclusivity, this was the first Westminster Seminar in its long history to be in a hybrid format. We were delighted to once again be welcoming delegates back to Westminster and made provisions for virtual participation.

UK-Canada Forum: Sharing Expertise on Trade Agreements, Virtual, 28 June 2021

CPA UK hosted a private virtual discussion with UK Parliamentarians and Members of the Parliament of Canada on matters relating to trade agreements.

Topics covered the impact of Brexit, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and Northern Ireland.

UK-Canada Forum: Exploring Shared Security Interests, Virtual, 18 May 2021

The UK-Canada Forum brings together parliamentarians from both countries in a series of bilateral meetings.

This private meeting focused on the shared security interests that exist between the UK and Canada, ahead of the G7 Summit in June 2021.

UK-Canada Forum: UK-Canada Relations Post-Brexit, Virtual, 16 March 2021

This marked the first edition of the UK-Canada Forum, a series of engagements between the parliaments that is being organised by CPA UK and its partners at the Canada-United Kingdom Parliamentary Association (RUUK

The hour and a half long discussion focused on three key themes; Brexit, trade, and the forthcoming G7 and COP26 Summits, which the UK will host later this year.

Canada Briefing by British High Commissioner, Virtual, 27 January 2021

CPA UK hosted the British High Commissioner to Canada, H.E. Susan le Jeune d'Allegeershecque CMG, for a private briefing meeting for Members and Peers only.

Her Excellency briefed attendees on the latest developments with regards to UK-Canadian relations post-Brexit, and there was an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.

Commonwealth Parliamentarians' Forum – Westminster, 26 February 2018 - 1 March 2018

CPA UK hosted the first Commonwealth Parliamentarians' Forum ahead of the UK hosting Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2018. The Forum brought together national legislators from across the Commonwealth and set the scene for the CHOGM 2018 theme – ‘Towards a Common Future’. The Parliamentarians' Forum sparked dialogue, engaged parliamentarians in the summit agenda and created opportunities for in-depth cross-Commonwealth discussion. The Forum was an invaluable opportunity to reinforce and reinvigorate the Commonwealth’s aspirations, opportunities, challenges and relevance in the coming years.

Westminster Workshop on Public Accounts Committees – Westminster, 4-6 December 2017

CPA UK's series of capacity building Westminster Workshops have explored the role of parliamentarians and parliamentary Public Accounts Committees (PACs) in financial oversight, providing practical training and knowledge to Commonwealth PACs. The 2017 Westminster Workshop aimed to further the role of parliamentarians in the promotion of tax transparency and the prevention of tax avoidance.

Westminster Seminar on Parliamentary Practice and Procedure – Westminster, 13-17 November 2017

The annual Westminster Seminar is CPA UK’s flagship capacity-building programme for first-term parliamentarians and newly appointed procedural/committee Clerks from across the Commonwealth. Every year the programme provides a unique platform for participants to network and engage with counterparts; exploring different approaches to parliamentary democracy, practice and procedure in the context of the Westminster System and comparative Commonwealth parliamentary structures.

Visit of Members of Federal Parliament of Canada, Westminster, 13–15 March 2017, Scottish Parliament, 16-17 March 2017

CPA UK and CPA Scotland hosted a delegation of Members of the Federal Parliament of Canada. The delegation consisted of eight members of the Canada–United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association and five members of the Canada–Europe Parliamentary Association. The focus of the visit was on the UK’s decision to exit the European Union. The main discussions evolved around the implications of Brexit, the relationships between Westminster and the devolved legislatures, international trade, UK/Canada trade as well as the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The visit helped deepen bilateral relations between UK and Canadian parliamentarians on issues of common interest.

Visit from Members of the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament of Canada, Westminster, 7-8 December 2016

The visit from Members of the Canadian Public Accounts Committee, 7-8 December 2016,
focused on increasing participants' awareness of international best practices in enhancing the oversight of public finance through engaging with UK and Commonwealth counterparts.
Following the programme facilitated by CPA UK, the Canadian delegation attended the Global Tax Transparency Summit on Friday 9 December. The Summit was conducted by the UK Public Accounts Committee and delivered in partnership with Christian Aid, CAFOD, ActionAid, Save the Children, Oxfam, and CPA UK.

Bilateral Visit from Members of the Parliament of Canada, Westminster, 14-15 March 2016

Following the reconstitution of the Canadian Federal Parliament after the November 2015 General Election, a delegation of Canadian Parliamentarians visited Westminster from 14-15 March 2016 to solidify ties between both the UK Parliament and the Canadian Parliament, as well as Commonwealth organisations and institutions based in the UK. This was especially relevant in light of the appointment of the new Secretary General of the Commonwealth, the Rt Hon. Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC, in November 2015 and of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Akbar Khan, in October 2015.

CPA UK Delegation to Canada: Ottawa, Newfoundland and Labrador ,and Northwest Territories, 5-13 April 2014

A delegation of six UK Parliamentarians visited Canada over the period 5-13 April 2014. Programmes organised by the legislatures in Ottawa, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Northwest Territories (NWT) explored a range of areas including international relations, civil society, devolution, electoral reform, natural resources and defence and security co-operation.