Democratic Institutions Under Threat – May 5, 2023

‘Democratic Institutions Under Threat: What We Must Do to Respond’ – May 5, 2023

On Friday, May 5th, EngageParlDiplo, in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain and the House of Commons, organized a plenary session on Parliament Hill featuring Her Excellency Meritxell Batet Lamaña, Speaker of the Congress of Deputies of the Kingdom of Spain during an official visit to Canada from May 3 to May 6. Speaker Batet Lamaña talked about the global trend of erosion of trust in democratic institutions and what legislatures must do to reverse it. 

The Hon. Rob Oliphant, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided a thoughtful response. Chris D’entremont, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons,  led the session on how we can strengthen our democratic institutions when they can be threatened to highlight the need for multiculturalism, gender equality, inclusion, pluralism, and the importance of democratic institutions. During the Q&A, audience members asked the panelists to delve deeper into the role of misinformation and disinformation in the erosion of trust and what types of regulatory responses may be effective. 

Approximately fifty guests attended the event.