Canada and the Commonwealth

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper participated in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from November 27 to 29, 2009. The Prime Minister attended his first CHOGM in Kampala, Uganda in November 2007.

The outcome documents of the Port of Spain CHOGM are available on the Commonwealth website.

Background

The modern Commonwealth is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-four countries, most with historic links to the United Kingdom, and home to two billion citizens, almost 30 per cent of the world's population. Members cooperate within a framework of common values and goals. The Commonwealth celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2009.

A Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) Meeting is held every two years, at which Leaders discuss global issues and Commonwealth priorities. The next CHOGM will be held in Australia in 2011. There are also regular meetings for foreign, finance, justice, education, health, youth, tourism, gender, environment and sports ministers at which Canadian ministers become acquainted with their counterparts from other countries and both enhance their understanding of international issues and promote Canada's multilateral and bilateral priorities. Commonwealth Foreign Ministers meet annually on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

The Commonwealth has a small permanent Secretariat in London, headed by a Secretary-General, currently former Indian diplomat Kamalesh Sharma. It supports intergovernmental meetings, and operates a number of small programs related primarily to preventing conflict and to building support for democratic processes and human rights. The Secretariat also coordinates several election monitoring missions each year. The Secretary-General uses his "Good Offices" to support democratic processes and to help resolve conflict.

Canada's Financial Contributions to the Commonwealth

Canada is the Commonwealth's second largest contributor providing 20.12% or approximately $5.0 million to the regular Secretariat budget, and $13 million to the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) in 2008/09. Canada is also the second-largest contributor to the Commonwealth Foundation (a separate outreach organization to civil society), and to the Commonwealth Youth Program. In addition, Canada contributes to the Commonwealth of Learning ($2.6 million in 2008/09), a separate, Vancouver-based intergovernmental organization which provides distance-learning services to Commonwealth countries. Canada also contributed $2.4 million in 2008/09 to the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan.