Ottawa, October 28; The Pakistan Parliamentary delegation called on the Honourable Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons Mr. Peter Milliken as a conclusion to the Study Visit to the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa yesterday.

The Honourable Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons welcomed the Pakistani delegates and shared his sorrow at the catastrophic floods in Pakistan. The delegation shared with Speaker Milliken the key points of interaction and learning during the 3-day interactions with various committees at the Hill and underscored that it is taking with it the Canadian Parliamentary spirit of making the Parliament work in addition to the tradition and practices of Parliamentary scrutiny and role in formulation of the budget, scrutiny of the departmental estimates and oversight by the Canadian Parliamentary Committees.

The Pakistan delegation, that is currently in Canada, concluded the last day of its interactions and dialogues in the capitol Ottawa before moving to the Ontario Legislative Assembly in Toronto.

The delegation interacted in detail with the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer representatives Mr. Sahir Khan, Director General Expenditure and Revenue Analysis and Mr. Mostafa Askari, Director General Economic and Fiscal Analysis, alongside Mr. James Kalwarowsky, Senior Director International Affairs, Trade and Finance of the Parliament Library. The interaction involved around the role of the PBO and how it has enhanced the work of Canadian Parliament in the executive�s budget scrutiny and how the PBO�s role is different from that of the Parliament�s Library.

The delegation was briefed in detail about the process of developing and approving the Canadian Parliament�s internal budget by Ms. Clair Kennedy, Chief Financial Officer, House of Commons, Canada. The delegation engaged in an in-depth discussion on the processes the House of Commons adopts in preparing its plans and budgets, a responsibility that rests with the National Assembly�s Finance Committee in Pakistan.

The delegation was hosted to a luncheon by Mr. Devinder Shory, the Indian-origin Canadian MP from Calgary Northeast. Mr. Shory, a member of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, had graciously invited the delegation as a hospitable gesture due to the mutual affinity of belonging to the South Asian region.

Mr. David C. Price, Former Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Defence and member of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, discussed in detail with the delegation the powers and functions of the Canadian Parliament on Defence oversight and the scrutiny carried out by the Standing Committee on Defence.

The Pakistan delegation currently in Canada comprises Mr. Khurram Dastgir Khan, MNA, Chairman, National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), NA-96, Gujranwala-II, Punjab); Mr. Nadeem Afzal Gondal, MNA, Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges (Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), NA-64 Sargodha-I, Punjab); Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, MNA, Chairperson National Assembly Standing Committee on Water and Power (Pakistan peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP), NA-214 Nawabshah-II, Sindh); Khawaja Sohail Mansoor, MNA, (Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM); NA-240, Karachi-II, Sindh); Dr. Maqsood Ahmad Malik, Secretary, Provincial Assembly of the Punjab; Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Executive Director, PILDAT and Ms. Aasiya Riaz, Joint Director, PILDAT.

The Study Visit that has been facilitated by PILDAT jointly with the Parliamentary Centre Canada is part of the Parliamentary and Political Party Strengthening Project (PPPSP) which is funded through the Glyn Berry Program of Canada�s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).