AEFA - Standing Committee

Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Past Session: Past Session:
41-1 41st Parliament, 1st Session (June 2, 2011 - September 13, 2013)
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Recommendations

Recommendation 1

The Committee recommends that the Minister of Foreign Affairs continue the dialogue started through the Committee’s hearings on the proposed Charter of the Commonwealth and, using technologies  such as websites, social media, blogs and electronic polling, take measures to ensure adequate consultation and information sharing with interested parties and individuals in Canada throughout the Charter negotiation process.
Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that the Minister continue to pursue a consensus-building document that encapsulates Commonwealth values, and that through that process he take the following into consideration:

a) The term “Charter” carries implications of a binding document. A “statement of principles,” or like title, may better complement the Commonwealth model.

b) A document that is shorter, more concise and focussed on the Commonwealth’s fundamental values may better serve the educational function ascribed to it.

c) A document that more clearly delineates the Commonwealth’s comparative advantages – including the youth, parliamentary, and small states advantages – could help ensure that those elements continue to differentiate the Commonwealth and underpin its unique added value to member states.

d) Ways and means could be sought to support the successful implementation of the final document.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recommends that, in his ongoing deliberations with other Commonwealth officials, the Minister of Foreign Affairs encourage member states to arrive at and be guided by shared understanding and clarity on the objectives and ultimate purpose of the document, and on the steps that the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group needs to take to ensure its full implementation across the Commonwealth.