Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday attended the Standing Committee Meeting of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) upon his arrival in the Canadian capital Ottawa.
Birla is leading an Indian Parliamentary delegation -- comprising of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh and Lok Sabha Secretary-General Snehlata Shrivastava -- to the 25th CSPOC being held in Ottawa from January 5 to January 11.
A total of four workshop sessions and a special plenary will be held during the conference.
The theme of the first workshop is -- 'Parliamentary Engagement: Openness, Transparency, and Accountability, while the second workshop is based on 'Challenges and Opportunities Arising from the Displacement of a Parliamentary Assembly'.
The theme of the third and fourth workshops are -- 'Parliamentarians as Effective Legislators and Constituency Representatives: Evolving Support Required' and 'Security of Individuals in the Parliamentary Context and Beyond', respectively.
The Lok Sabha Speaker will be the workshop presenter in the fourth workshop and will also attend the meeting of CSPOC standing committee to be held on January 6.
The special plenary will be held on January 9 on the theme 'Inclusive Parliaments: The Role of the Speaker in Supporting Emerging Procedures and Practices Embracing the Changing Face and Needs of Parliament', the government release read.
The delegates from the Indian Parliament will participate in the special plenary session and other workshops of the conference.
"During his stay in Ottawa, Birla will have bilateral meetings with his counterparts in the Canadian Senate and House of Commons and other dignitaries," the release read.
The Indian Parliamentary delegation will also have meetings with the Indian diaspora in Ottawa and Toronto during the visit.
"The CSPOC brings together the Speakers and Presiding Officers of the National Parliaments of Commonwealth countries. It was created in 1969 as an initiative of the then Speaker of House of Commons of Canada.
Since its inception, Canada has provided CSPOC with a Secretariat to support its activities.
( With inputs from ANI )