Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has pledged to help Myanmar be more stable and accountable, according to Deepak Obhrai, Canadian parliamentary secretary.

A Canadian multi-party parliamentary delegation, led by Obhrai, was in Myanmar between Feb 16 and 22. After the visit, the parliament secretary told reporters that Canada's long experience with the parliamentary democracy could help Myanmar develop parliamentary practices.

 Applauding the recent reforms in Myanmar, also known as Burma, the secretary called upon the Myanmar government to embrace more reforms.

 "Burma's recent reform efforts have been swift and encouraging," said Deepak Obhrai.

"Sharing ideas on what works and what doesn't in the Canadian context will help speed the process of getting the truly representative and democratic government that the Burmese people have long called for," he added.

The 14-member of the delegation comprised of members of parliament, senior politicians, procedural parliamentary staff and a representative of the auditor general's office.

In a press release February 15, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said that the federal government will continue to work with its international and Burmese partners to promote democracy and rule of law in Burma.

 "When I visited Burma last March, I proposed this type of exchange so Canada could share with Burmese reform leaders our experiences and perspectives on good parliamentary practices," said John Baird in the press release.

 "There is very little parliamentary tradition in Burma, and if a functioning legislature and multi-party electoral system are to flourish, there's real value to this type of practical interaction," he said.

Following the swift election last April and release of political prisoners in Myanmar, the Canadian government suspended several sanctions against the Burmese nation.

However, the federal government last year warned to re-impose the sanctions if the situation in Myanmar deteriorated.

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