28th Canadian Regional Conference

The Twenty-Eighth Parliamentary Conference of the Canadian Region, CPA took place in Charlottetown from July 13-19, 1988.

All fourteen legislatures in the Canadian Region sent delegates and there were also observers from the House of Commons in Westminster, Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos.

One of the subjects on the agenda was the idea of an association between Canada and the Turks and Caicos. Dan McKenzie outlined some of the advantages from a Canadian perspective. Speaker Larry Coalburne spoke about recent developments on the Islands which could lead to discussions along the lines suggested by Mr. McKenzie. The third member of the panel, Tom Pendry, a Member of Parliament from Westminster thought that any such association would require a clear expression of opinion by the Islanders before Great Britain would support the idea. He suggested a plebiscite as one way of determining opinion on the Island.

The topic of plebiscites in a parliamentary democracy was also discussed in another session. A paper prepared by Patrick Boyer, MP was presented on Mr. Boyer's behalf by Lloyd Crouse. The discussion openers were Denis Rocan of Manitoba and Richard Nerysoo of the Northwest Territories.

Sue Findlay formerly with the Woman's Bureau of the Department of the Secretary of State presented a paper on the status of women in Canada. Tom Sigurdson of Alberta and Jim McLachlan of the Yukon were the opening speakers.

Three other sessions were held on: Free Trade: The Cultural Dimension with Mavor Moore as the feature speaker; Regional Development in Atlantic Canada with Don S. McPhail, president of Atlantic Canada; and Marketing Initiatives for Agricultural products with Tim Carroll, PEI, Minister of Agriculture.

Among the legislators to lead off the discussion of these issues were Jean Joly, (MNA Quebec); Doug Reycraft, (MPP Ontario); Glen Greening, (MLA Newfoundland); Jane Barry, (MLA New Brunswick) Fred McCain, MP ad Ted Gleim, (MLA Saskatchewan).

The conference was hosted by Speaker Edward Clark on behalf of the PEI Branch of the Canadian Region. The business program and leisure events were equally well organised and drew unqualified praise from the delegates and observers -- even those who failed to catch anything on a deep-sea fishing trip offered by the organising committee.

13th Canadian Regional Seminar

The Thirteenth Canadian Regional Seminar will be hosted by the Hon. John Reynolds, Speaker of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, on behalf of the British Columbia Branch, from Thursday, November 17 to Sunday, November 20, 1988, in Vancouver at the Westin Bayshore.

Speaker Reynolds encourages each Canadian Branch to participate in this seminar and welcomes the opportunity to provide delegates with the usual British Columbia hospitality.

New Speaker in Manitoba

The new Speaker of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly is Denis Rocan MLA for Turtle Mountain. Mr. Rocan, 39, has served in the Legislature since 1986.

Born in Somerset to French-Canadian parents he spent his early years in the north end of Winnipeg, returning to Somerset at age 12. He is bilingual and received his education at Sacré Coeur in Winnipeg, Somerset Collegiate and Otterburne College.

Mr. Rocan has held supervisory positions with Inco in Thompson and Eaton's in Winnipeg. He has also owned and operated both a building and moving company and a grain and fertilizer hauling business. He has been active in the community, is an avid curler and a member of the Lions Club.

New Lieutenant Governors

On July 28 Prime Minister Mulroney announced the appointment of two new Lieutenant Governors.

In British Columbia, David See-Chai Lam replaces the Hon. Robert Gordon Rogers whose term has expired. Born in Hong Kong, Mr. Lam came to Canada in 1967 and became a Canadian citizen five years later. He has a B.A. from Longam University in Canton, China and an MBA from Temple University in Philadelphia.

A businessman, Dr. Lam is Chairman and President of Canadian International Enterprises Ltd., Vancouver. He is also President of the Hong Kong Merchant's Association, an organisation he founded, in 1967, to assist immigrants from Hong Kong in settling in Canada. Since 1955, he has maintained an association with Hong Kong Baptist College, serving as Chairman of its Medical Board until 1967 and remaining a member of the Board of Governors.

Mr. Lam is founder and President of the Floribunda Philanthropic Society and the David and Dorothy Lam Foundation. He was a major contributor to the building of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver, the only authentic Chinese-Style garden built outside of China.

Dr. Lam has also been a principal supporter of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver and the United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society, service agencies dedicated to bringing together the Chinese community and other communities in Canada.

In Saskatchewan the new Lieutenant Governor is Sylvia Fedoruk, currently chancellor at the University of Saskatchewan. She has served as director of physical services, Saskatchewan Cancer Foundation and as professor of Oncology at the College of Medicine.

She has been a member of the Atomic Energy Control Board since 1973 and is Vice-Chairman of the National Forum on Post Secondary Education.

Sylvia Fedoruk was one of Saskatchewan's outstanding female athletes having competed in a number of sports including basketball, track and field, volleyball, golf and curling. She was inducted into Saskatchewan's Sport Hall of Fame last year.