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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>MR. GRAHAM - ADDRESS TO THE GLOBAL ORGANIZATION OF PARLIAMENTARIANS AGAINST CORRUPTION - OTTAWA, ONTARIO</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE BILL GRAHAM, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TO THE GLOBAL ORGANIZATION OF PARLIAMENTARIANS AGAINST CORRUPTION OTTAWA, Ontario October 15, 2002 It is a real pleasure to be here tonight at the invitation of an organization that puts into action ideas that form the highest aspirations of government. When we speak of good governance, we do not think of it in the abstract. We think of it as the sum total of the efforts of scores of dedicated parliamentarians like yourselves, ensuring that the machinery of government functions with integrity. I believe this is an ideal that all parliamentarians work toward, and in this regard, this global organization is lucky to have someone like John Williams as Conference Chair. John brings his experience as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee to put meaning and practical relevance into such an organization, as I am sure you have already noted from the range of hands-on themes you are discussing during the course of this conference. As the international community creates the institutions necessary for us to combine our best efforts, it has become increasingly evident that some of the same basic requirements for good governance that drive our domestic structures must form the foundation of our new international architecture: transparency, accountability, and the rule of law. Beyond its criminal nature, corruption is the nemesis of good governance. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis pointed out: "Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law." When good governance is thwarted by corruption, the effects are corrosive to an entire society. Corruption undermines and distorts the economy, discouraging local entrepreneurs and diverting the flow of investment capital to more stable destinations. Furthermore, corruption destroys the legitimacy of the government itself, and in lowering a country's own credibility and prestige, makes it less likely that it will be able to bring to bear its best sources of expertise from all facets of its society. For all these reasons, Canada has made the fight against corruption a priority domestically and internationally. The Government of Canada stated it succinctly in the recent Speech from the Throne in its commitment to clear guidance and better enforcement of the ethical standards expected of elected officials and senior public servants: "Canadians want their government to be open, accountable and responsive to their diverse and changing needs." Our Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act has been in place since 1999, making it a crime to bribe foreign public officials. This Act and other domestic legislation reflect the commitments we made in ratifying the OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] convention against corruption in 1998. Canada also ratified the OAS convention against corruption in June 2000, and has been a sponsor and active participant in ensuring its effective implementation. For example, through our Human Security Program, Canada is providing $150,000 toward the Follow-up Mechanism to the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, and $150,000 toward the Inter-American Forum on Political Parties, where participants can discuss maintaining integrity in campaign financing. Through CIDA, Canada also provides funding for Transparency International, an organization whose Corruption Perceptions Index allows us to measure progress toward open and accountable government. With our score of 9 out of a possible 10, Canada was proud to be the only G8 country in the top 10 ranking. We are also closely following the efforts underway to negotiate a comprehensive United Nations Convention against Corruption. I understand from officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade that just last week the Ad Hoc Committee continued to advance the drafting of that Convention. We would like a convention that includes a mixture of preventive measures, addresses criminal issues and promotes international cooperation. The resulting convention should set global standards that integrate well with regional standards already established in other international forums, so as to garner the widest possible support. In summarizing some of the international governmental responses to the problem of corruption, I did not want to imply that the role of parliamentarians begins and ends with the ratification of conventions and treaties: the policy process requires your input. Of course, as government, we are accountable and responsible for deciding policy. But in so doing, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we are open to the best advice, information and resources that can be brought to bear. We look to interested Canadians from all parts of the country--analysts, scholars and activists--to give us new insights on a range of crucial problems. Since entering politics, and in particular during my years as Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT), I have been convinced that parliamentarians play a critical role in developing policies for the betterment of Canadian society, with foreign policy assuming a central place in the process. And it has always been my view that parliamentarians, whose responsibilities include acting in the public interest, must be present and active on the world stage, since they are, in a sense, civil society's best representatives. Parliaments play a critical role in good governance by ensuring that state institutions are accountable, by representing the population, and by helping formulate and enact policies and legislation. More specifically, parliaments can play an important role in helping curb corruption by exercising oversight over the executive branch, building political will to combat corruption, and enacting anti-corruption legislation. In that respect, an organization like GOPAC [Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption] is doubly laudable, as an example of civil society involvement in the policy process, and in addressing concretely the problems of corruption. Of course, representative parliaments are instrumental in developing comprehensive national efforts to control corruption, however, you also have a unique opportunity to effect change through your own conduct. As John Williams has stated, "Parliamentarians must fight against corruption by first setting a good personal example in upholding the integrity of parliament." For these reasons, together with my experience as SCFAIT chair, and with the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] and the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA), I have always been an ardent promoter of the role of parliamentarians in the international arena. In practising "parliamentary diplomacy" we have the opportunity of sharing our experiences, encouraging best practices and enriching ourselves through the knowledge we acquire about how our colleagues in different jurisdictions are approaching and solving common problems. The added value in an organization like GOPAC, then, lies in building networks and contacts among parliamentarians who can share their practical experience in crafting the rules and mechanisms that make an effective legislature possible. Genuine parliamentary oversight is the essential first step in any campaign against corruption. When I was in Brazil a couple of years ago, I met members of Congress of both Houses eager to learn how to bring an effective parliamentary analysis to bear on government accounts so that they could make a real contribution to the necessary democratic oversight that ultimately strengthens every political system. I know that many other parliamentarians, including our own, seek the same. A gathering like this enables us to hear voices from the many different regions represented here, and add their insights to the shared knowledge of the group. In turn, all participants can take the skills learned here and adapt them to the particular needs of their own country to demonstrate their effectiveness to others at home. The public confidence necessary to end corruption starts with each and every one of us here today and our immediate efforts at parliamentary reform. There is cause for some optimism, even in light of some of the disappointing setbacks to democracy that we have seen in some areas of our own hemisphere. In September, we welcomed, in particular, the successful founding of the Latin American Parliamentarians Against Corruption (LAPAC). It is heartening to see the work of people like Mexico's Beatriz Paredes in creating a forum where parliamentarians have agreed to fight corruption in all its forms. It is complemented by the role of FIPA, ably chaired by our colleague, Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette who is here tonight, and who I know, intends to work with LAPAC on this important dimension of our parliamentary agenda. Achieving success in this area is, in any view, an essential step toward regaining consumer and business confidence, and attracting international investors. These are the same principles recognized by African leaders in adopting the New Partnership for Africa's Development. This bold and clear-sighted vision of Africa's development explicitly states that "development is impossible in the absence of true democracy, respect for human rights, peace and good governance." The African Parliamentary Network Against Corruption (APNAC) has already begun some of this work, through the efforts of those like Kenya's Muzikari Kombo. It is my hope that the founding of GOPAC will help make sure that the work of groups like APNAC is extended and supported, and that parliamentarians can play their rightful role in establishing good governance as a necessary precondition for Africa's recovery. Let me again congratulate everyone here today for the commitment and effort that has gone into the launching of GOPAC. The creation of GOPAC reflects a common objective: to address our shortcomings where we see them, build better institutions, and inspire others to strive to eliminate all forms of corruption. In seeing the truly impressive turnout for this event, and experiencing your enthusiasm, I believe this goal is within our grasp, and I can assure you of the support of the Government of Canada as you build this organization into an entity that will bring real benefits to our constituents whose interests, in the end, we all seek to serve. Thank you. </body> </html>

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