New Delhi: Amid a diplomatic spat with India, Canada will participate in the upcoming 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit (P20) slated to be held in New Delhi from October 12 to 14. This comes amid the diplomatic tension between India and Canada after Justin Trudeau alleged India had a link in the killing of Sikh Separatist Nijjar Singh.
After a successful G20 Leaders Summit, New Delhi is all set to host the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit ( P20). Within the G20, P20 is an engagement group headed by the Speakers of the G20 countries, and it aims to bring a parliamentary dimension to global governance, said Om Birla Speaker of the Lok Sabha during a press conference here in New Delhi.
Addressing a press briefing on the premises of the Parliament House Committee, Birla said, "The presiding officers of 25 countries and 10 deputy speakers from the G20 member nations and invitee countries are expected to attend the P20 Summit that will be held at the India International Convention and Expo Centre -- Yashobhoomi -- at Dwarka from October 12 to 14. In all, 50 Parliamentarians will take part".
In response to a question on Canada's participation at the P20 Summit, Birla said, "All countries have been invited, just now Canada’s Senate Speaker has sent the confirmation to us,” Birla said in response to a question about Canada’s participation in P20. The Lok Sabha Speaker also informed that the key narrative of the P20 meeting is ‘India as the mother of democracy’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) on October 13.
It is pertinent to note that more than 350 delegates are expected to attend the three-day summit that will see the participation of 50 members of Parliament, 14 general secretaries, 26 vice-presidents, the International Parliamentary Union president and the president of the Pan-African Parliament. The theme of the 9th P20 is proposed to be Parliaments for 'One Earth, One Family, One Future'. The Summit will be chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
As informed by Birla, four sessions have been planned for the 9th P20 summit, including transformation in people's lives through public digital platforms women-led development, accelerating SDGs and sustainable energy transition. "A pre-summit event, namely Parliamentary Forum on Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), will be held on October 12 at Yashobhoomi. An exhibition titled 'Mother of Democracy' will also be organised to highlight India's ancient and participative democratic traditions," Om Birla said.
The P20 delegates will also be taken on a tour of the new Parliament House, followed by a cultural evening and dinner hosted by the Speaker. The Parliamentary track in the G20 started in 2010 in Ottawa, Canada as a Consultative meeting of the Speakers of select G20 countries. It may be noted that P20 has not taken place under every G20 Presidency. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has attended three previous meetings- the sixth in Tokyo in November 2019, the seventh in Rome in October 2021 and the eighth in Jakarta on October 6 to 7, 2022.
