Parliamentarians from Pakistan, Ontario, Jamaica and Wales recognised at Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year 2025 Awards at 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Barbados

The Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year 2025 Awards have been announced at the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Barbados.

Hon. Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, MPA, Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab in Pakistan was announced as the recipient of the 2025 Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year Award in recognition of his transformational leadership and instituting unprecedented reforms that have strengthen transparency, accountability and legislative independence.

Hon. Ted Arnott, the former Speaker of the Ontario Legislature in Canada was awarded the 2025 Parliamentarian Life-time Achievement Award after 35 years of parliamentary service and Hon. James Evans, MS from the Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament was awarded the 2025 New Parliamentarian Award in recognition of his contribution to promoting parliamentary democracy in his first term and through his work with multiple Parliamentary Committees.

Hon. Olivia Grange, MP, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and the Deputy Leader of the House in the Parliament of Jamaica was awarded the 2025 Parliamentary Equality and Diversity Award in recognition of her transformational and inclusive leadership in advancing gender equality and social justice in Jamaica.

The awards were presented by the CPA Chairperson, Hon. Dr Christopher Kalila, MP (Zambia) at the conclusion of the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Barbados.

Above: The CPA Chairperson, Hon. Dr Christopher Kalila, MP (Zambia) presents the 2025 Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year Award to Hon. Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, MPA, Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab in Pakistan. For further images of the awards ceremony please click here.

The CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg said:

“The Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year Awards aligns with our strategic objective of promoting the Commonwealth values of parliamentary democracy and sustainable development to a wide audience. Through these annual awards, the CPA recognises and highlights the invaluable contributions that Parliamentarians are making to their local communities within the Commonwealth.”

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Hon. Malik Ahmad Khan, MPA, Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Pakistan was recognised as the winner of the 2025 Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year Award in recognition of his transformational leadership. He has revolutionised parliamentary governance in his Legislature by instituting unprecedented reforms that strengthen transparency, accountability and legislative independence.

He has introduced the first comprehensive revision of the Provincial Assembly’s Rules of Procedure in decades, ensuring that Parliamentary Committees have stronger powers to hold the Executive to account. To further promote transparency, he also mandated the live streaming of the Provincial Assembly sessions and digitized legislative records, making parliamentary proceedings accessible to the public in real-time.

• Read the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Pakistan’s article in The Parliamentarian about parliamentary reforms in the Legislature.
• Listen to our CPA Podcast interview with the Speaker of the Punjab Provincial Assembly on his role as Speaker, strategies for inclusive growth and regulating emerging technologies.

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Hon. Ted Arnott is the former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in Canada who has been awarded the 2025 Parliamentarian Life-time Achievement Award, in recognition of his 35 years of parliamentary service and his commitment and contributions to the Legislature during that time. Praised for his encouragement to colleagues and an ability to inspire greater decorum and less divisiveness in the Chamber, Hon. Ted Arnott was also the Dean of Presiding Officers in Canada, sharing his knowledge and expertise with new Speakers from across the country.

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Hon. James Evans, MS from the Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament has been awarded the 2025 New Parliamentarian Award in recognition of his contribution to promoting parliamentary democracy. In his first term, he has advanced the principles of good governance through his work with multiple Parliamentary Committees, including the COVID-19 Inquiry Committee. Through cross-party collaboration, he has also fostered bipartisan solutions to national challenges, best exemplified through his work behind the landmark Mental Health Standards of Care Bill.

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Hon. Olivia Grange, MP, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and the Deputy Leader of the House in the Parliament of Jamaica has been awarded the 2025 Parliamentary Equality and Diversity Award in recognition of her transformational and inclusive leadership in advancing gender equality and social justice. She led the development and implementation of Jamaica’s National Strategic Action Plan to Eliminate Gender-based Violence and has piloted significant pieces of legislation such as the Sexual Harassment (Protection and Prevention) Act, 2021 and the Domestic Violence (Amendment) Act, 2023.

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As part of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s mission to strengthen parliamentary democracy through the promotion of good governance and sharing best practice, the awards were launched in 2022 to recognise and highlight inspirational and active Parliamentarians for excelling in their field.

CPA Awards are open to nominees who are current Parliamentarians* across the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s unique membership includes almost 180 national, state, provincial and territorial Legislatures. The next awards will be open for nominees in 2026.

* Nominees should be sitting Members of Parliament in a Commonwealth Legislature or have been a sitting Member of Parliament in a Commonwealth Legislature in the award period. The award can be made posthumously. Please check the CPA website for full nomination criteria.

For images from the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference visit the CPA Flickr page.

The CPA Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year Awards aim to recognise and highlight inspirational and active Parliamentarians for excelling in their field. The awards are open to nominees who are current Parliamentarians across the Commonwealth.

There are four award categories: Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year Award; Parliamentary Equality and Diversity Award; New Parliamentarian Award; Parliamentarian Lifetime Achievement Award. The CPA Awards began in 2022. Find out more about the CPA Awards.

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Further information about the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) can be found at the 68th CPC Hub.

On social media follow the hashtag #68CPC

Images of the 68th CPC are also available at the CPA's Flickr page. 

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) organises its annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) to address global political issues and developments in the parliamentary system through conference workshops and sessions for leading Parliamentarians representing Parliaments and Legislatures throughout the Commonwealth.

The CPA is an international community of almost 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.

For media enquiries, please contact communications@cpahq.org.