CAYMAN ISLANDS UNDERTAKES CPA BENCHMARKS ASSESSMENT TO FOCUS ON PARLIAMENTARY STRENGTHENING
Image credit: Parliament of the Cayman Islands.
CPA NEWS
The Parliament of the Cayman Islands has conducted a self-assessment against the CPA’s ‘Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures’. The self-assessment includes a series of interviews with key parliamentary leaders, which began with the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, and the Clerk of Parliament, Zena MerrenChin, followed by a meeting with the Governor of Cayman Islands, H.E. Jane Owen.The CPA Benchmarks assessment was supported by Clive Barker from CPA Headquarters and Shannon Dean, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Other key meetings during the week included the Premier of the Cayman Islands Government, Hon. Wayne Panton, government and opposition MPs, civil servants, journalists and civil society leaders. Speaking about the self-assessment, the Speaker Katherine Ebanks-Wilks said: "This is a great opportunity to see for ourselves where Cayman’s Legislature is performing well, and where we need to improve our parliamentary practices. I welcome this opportunity to gain a better viewpoint of our accomplishments, and to find solutions on strengthening our parliamentary governance.” At the conclusion of the process, a report will be formulated with recommendations for reform to strengthen parliamentary institutions in the Cayman Islands.
REGIONAL WORKSHOP FOR AFRICAN PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEES IN ZAMBIA
CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS MEET FOR 43rd CPA CANADIAN REGIONAL PARLIAMENTARY SEMINAR IN ONTARIO
Parliamentarians and Clerks attended the 43rd CPA Canadian Regional Parliamentary Seminar from 12 to 15 October 2023 in Toronto, Ontario on the theme of ‘Representative Government: Cultivating Inclusive Parliaments’. Delegates were welcomed by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Hon. Ted Arnott, MPP. The programme included sessions on accessible Parliaments, reconciliation work with indigenous communities; indigenous symbols and representation in Parliament; inclusive spaces in Parliament. CPA Branches from Alberta, British Columbia, Canada Federal, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Québec attended the seminar.
CANADA HOSTS PARLIAMENTARY OFFICERS’ PROGRAMME
Clerks and parliamentary staff from across the Commonwealth attended the five-day Parliamentary Officers’ Study Programme at the Parliament of Canada in October 2023. The programme provides parliamentary staff from overseas and Canadian Legislatures with an opportunity to learn about the functioning of the Canadian Parliament and to reflect on their own practices. Participants were welcomed by the newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, Hon. Greg Fergus, MP.
Image credit: Parliament of Canada.
Image: Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Image credit: National Assembly of Zambia/CPA UK.
The National Assembly of Zambia has hosted 20 Commonwealth Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from Legislatures across the CPA Africa Region for a Regional Workshop for African Public Accounts Committees from 30 October to 1 November 2023. The three-day workshop was officially opened by the First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, Hon. Malungo A. Chisangano, MP together with the Clerk of Zambia National Assembly, Roy Ngulube and the Chairperson of the UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, Rt Hon. Dame Meg Hillier, MP. Delegations attended the workshop from The Gambia, Ghana, Malawi, Namibia The Seychelles, Sierra Leone as well as from the UK Parliament and St Helena Legislative Council. The workshop was organised by the CPA UK Branch in collaboration with the National Assembly of Zambia. Delegates participated in training sessions and panel discussions on benchmarking their respective Public Accounts Committees, conducting effective enquiries, managing parliamentary resources, handling sensitive information, measuring impact of the PACs, engaging the media and young people and making strong recommendations. One of the participants, Hon. Sandy Arissol, MP from the National Assembly of The Seychelles said that “it was a fruitful workshop whereby we were able to put forward strong propositions on how we can better serve our Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) and empower our parliamentary staff. It is also good to note that through the benchmarking, we are comforted to know that our Committee is on the right track and doing immense work for our small island.”
The Parliamentarian | 2023: Issue Four | 100 years of publishing | 283
