Thirty-five Commonwealth Parliamentarians and Members-elect from across the CPA’s membership have attended the Advanced Professional Development and Skills-Building Residency Course in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada from 12 to 16 June 2023.

This CPA programme is the third CPA Parliamentary Academy residency programme, and it examined how Members of Parliament can enhance their professional development skills on topics ranging from leadership and strategic thinking to communications and team management.

Over five days, the delegates developed skills that are applicable both in Parliaments and in many different spheres. Delegates were mentored throughout the programme by current Parliamentarians from across the CPA’s membership including Speakers and Members from British Columbia and Alberta as well as experts in professional development.

The programme was co-hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Headquarters Secretariat and the Alberta Legislative Assembly and delegates attended from: Antigua and Barbuda; Bangladesh; Belize; Jersey; Kiribati; Rajasthan; Malawi; New South Wales; Northern Territory; Northwest Territories; Sri Lanka; Nova Scotia; Saint Lucia; St Kitts and Nevis; Tasmania; Turks and Caicos; Western Australia; British Columbia; and Alberta.

Delegates were welcomed to Canada by the Speaker and Member-elect of the Alberta Legislative Assembly, Hon. Nathan Cooper who said:

“It was with great pleasure that I could welcome Parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth to Canada and the Province of Alberta to participate in this valuable programme. It was clear from throughout the week’s activities that we shared the goal of improving the communities we serve and the overall enhancement of good governance across our jurisdictions.”

In a message sent to delegates attending the programme, the CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg said:

“I am very grateful to the CPA Alberta Branch for hosting the third CPA Parliamentary Academy Residency Programme in Canada and for their time during the programme to support Parliamentarians attending the event. The opportunities for mutual learning and sharing best practice are vital to the CPA’s work and the CPA Members attending this programme from across the Commonwealth will have benefitted from this once again this week.”

The CPA residency programme provides an extension of the CPA Parliamentary Academy, the CPA’s portfolio of online courses, training and resources specifically for Parliamentarians and parliamentary officials. The residency courses are intended to complement the online courses, providing face-to-face interactive learning and knowledge-sharing at a more advanced level.

Previous residency programmes have been co-hosted with the New South Wales Parliament and the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. The next programme will take place in partnership with The Scottish Parliament in October 2023.

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The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association connects, develops, promotes and supports Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is an international community of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.

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