A delegation from Myanmar is expected to arrive in Canada in the next few weeks

A delegation from Myanmar is expected to arrive in Canada in the next few weeks, on the heels of a draft report that suggests parliamentarians from the country want to learn about Canada’s “parliamentary oversight over the spending of public funds.”

The visit will be in response to the multi-party Canadian delegation to Myanmar, also known as Burma, from Feb. 16 to 22, Than Htwe, a counsellor at the embassy of Myanmar, said in an interview.

The delegation is expected on April 22, Mr. Htwe said, although another observer said visa issues could delay that date.

Embassy has also obtained a draft copy of the report outlining the results of the Canadian delegation. It recommends the reciprocal delegation, as well as for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to travel to the country, and that the Canadian embassy presence in the country should focus more on strengthening democratic institutions, among other recommendations.

The report also outlines “key areas of interest” that parliamentarians from Myanmar expressed about Canadian parliamentary democracy, including “Parliamentary oversight over the spending of public funds: the role of the public accounts committee and the auditor general.”

The delegation to Canada will also follow in the footsteps of Canada’s recent diplomatic courting of the Southeast Asian nation. The government announced Canada’s new ambassador to Myanmar on March 29, Mark McDowell, and is also promising a first-ever embassy that would be opened “in the coming months.”