What's New

Parliamentary Centre’s Cambodian Field Representatives Receive Royal Award from the King of Cambodia

The Parliamentary Centre’s field office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia received a great honour this month. In early June 2008 His Majesty King of Cambodia Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihamoni signed a Royal decree awarding Mr. Bunleng Men, Field Manager of the Cambodia-Canada Legislative Support Project (CCLSP) and Mrs. Sokhayouk Mom, Deputy Field Manager with the Royal Order of Monisaraphon, with the rank of "Mohasena and the rank of "Thipdin" respectively.

The Royal Order of Monisaraphon was established in the late 19th Century by King Sisowath for distinguished services in the field of Education, Justice, Administration, Science, Literature and Fine Arts.

The Royal Orders are awarded in recognition of the great contributions Mr. Men and Mrs. Mom have made to the development of the public institution of Parliament in Cambodia. Mr. Men and Mrs. Mom were recommended for the awards by the President of the National Assembly and the President of the Senate of Cambodia.

The Award Ceremony was held on June 19th, 2008 at the Senate of Cambodia.

Democracy Dialogue on “Canadian Approaches to Democracy Support in the Americas”

On 27 February 2008, the Democracy Council hosted a Democracy Dialogue on “Canadian Approaches to Democracy Support in the Americas” in Ottawa.

The event brought together a community of practitioners from government, Canadian organizations, academics and international experts working on international democratic development to explore the challenges and opportunities for supporting democracy in the Americas from a policy and programming perspective.

The Democracy Council is an informal forum established in 2005. The Council aims to promote the sharing of good practices on democratization overseas through dissemination of information among participants and mutual learning.
The Council is currently co-chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and includes Crown Corporations and arm’s length organizations. Participants to date include: Elections Canada, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Forum of Federations, the National Judicial Institute, the Parliamentary Centre, and Rights and Democracy.

For more information on the event, please visit the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade at http://geo.international.gc.ca/cip-pic/feature/democracy_dialogue_2008-en.aspx

The Financial Scrutiny Project

Gender Equality Network News!

Gender Equality Network Newsletter, provides a platform for MPs, parliamentary staff, CSO advocates, researchers and practitioners interested in sharing gender equality issues.

To submit articles and/or comments, please contact Annie Gingras at gingra@parl.gc.ca.

Parliamentary Centre chosen to be the Secretariat for the Coalition of African Parliamentarians Against HIV and AIDS (CAPAH)

CAPAH is a pan-African network of likeminded parliamentarians committed to increasing their role in the response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Members of CAPAH want to improve the advocacy, policymaking and oversight role of parliamentarians in order to increase parliamentary participation in the fight against HIV and AIDS. This network provides an opportunity for members from across the continent to share lessons learned and develop a community of practice dedicated to strong HIV and AIDS leadership.

Learning Tools on Public Involvement Now Available from the Canada-China Legislative Cooperation Project

The Year 2006 marked the height of our joint efforts with the top think-tank of the National People’s Congress of China and leading Canadian experts to compare leading practices in Canada and China for enhancing the participatory role of citizens in the policy process, exemplified by a workshop and site visits in China (July 2006) as well as a three-month comprehensive research program (August-October 2006) co-organized by the Centre and CPRN in Canada. Together, the Canadian and Chinese researchers produced a list of knowledge literature and learning tools on public involvements, by synthesizing major findings from the field visits, interviews and conferences involving the contribution of leading consultation specialists from across Canada.

Princeton Study: Strengthening Legislatures for Conflict Management in Fragile States

The Parliamentary Centre’s work in Bosnia and Herzegovina is cited in a Princeton study on strengthening legislatures in post-conflict environments. For more information, please contact Sonja Vojnovic at vojnos@parl.gc.ca.

ODI Report on Parliamentary Strengthening in Developing Countries

‘Governance is key to development. Parliaments have an important role to play in delivering governance which is effective both in terms of reducing poverty, and in terms of building democracy.’

Alan Hudson of the Overseas Development Institute and Claire Wren of One World Trust have prepared a report on the theory, practice, principles and lessons learned of parliamentary strengthening in developing countries.

See full Report on ODI website or the Executive Summary

Robert Miller discusses Canada's distinctive approach to democratic development and the need for partnership between government and civil society.

Successful Review of the Parliamentary Centre’s Program in Cambodia

In Fall 2006, the Cambodia-Canada Legislative Support Program (CCLSP) underwent an extensive review and evaluation. The draft report, released in January 2007, concludes, among other things, that the project successfully achieved significant output- and outcome-level results; was well strategized, planned, and managed, and well reported on; maintained exceptional relationships with the Government and Legislatures in Cambodia; and paved the way for increasingly open and better informed debate on some important issues, particularly in areas of social development.

Parliament, Politics and AIDS: A Comparative Study of Five African Countries

This study, in part, responds directly to concerns from African parliamentarians as regards to what various parliaments across Africa are doing about HIV/AIDS in a number of countries. This research also contributes key recommendations to strengthen the role of parliamentarians in the fight against the pandemic.

Handbook on Parliamentary Oversight on Gender Equality

This handbook is designed to assist parliamentarians in carrying out their oversight role on gender by developing a better understanding of the concept, providing a summary of the budget cycle process, discussing gender budgeting, and examining the gender dimensions in parliamentary committees, as well as suggestions for changing attitudes as a strategy for achieving gender equality.

Governor General of Canada Extends Vice-Regal Patronage to the Parliamentary Centre

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., Governor General of Canada, has extended vice-regal patronage to the Parliamentary Centre for the duration of her mandate. The Governor General actively endorses the objectives of select organizations by formally granting them patronage, thereby providing them with the name and prestige of the vice-regal office.