November 12, 2019

Dear Minister,

Welcome to your new job as Minister of International Development! The post you have just accepted offers the chance to make a real difference for Canada and the world if you build alliances and play your cards right. As long-time observers of and participants in the aid game in Ottawa, we humbly offer you the following advice as you settle into your new job.

One of the first things you receive upon arrival in your new office ...

McLeod Group blog, October 29, 2019

Now that the dust has settled after the election, it’s time to look at what a minority government might mean for Canadian foreign policy and the role of aid in development cooperation. Unfortunately there were not many signs from either the campaign, where foreign policy was scarcely mentioned, or in the parties’ official platforms, which were short on details. Indeed, the Conservative Party promised to ...

McLeod Group blog, October 28, 2019

BRAC is one of the world’s foremost NGOs, ranked at the top of global charities. Based in Bangladesh, it has a staff of 100,000 and an annual budget of approximately $1 billion. With this kind of profile, some might wonder why, earlier this year, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) agreed to contribute over $8 million to BRAC. ...

McLeod Group blog by Stéphanie Bacher, October 18, 2019 

In its 2019 platform, the Liberal Party claims that “Canada has earned its place in the world, anchored by a reputation for defending democracy, human rights, and the rule of law”. This statement seems completely at odds with the Trudeau government’s position on Canada’s arms exports to Saudi Arabia, which has been a major concern for many human rights organizations.

In 2014, ...

McLeod Group, October 10, 2019

We are writing to express our concern that to date and with less than two weeks to the elections there has been no serious discussion of Canadian foreign policy and the role of foreign aid. Given the changing and serious nature of global challenges, we believe it is important to hear from our political leaders how they see the role of Canada in the world.

We are particularly concerned about their views on foreign aid. Improving both ...

McLeod Group blog by Stephen Brown, October 3, 2019

Be careful what you wish for. During Canadian election campaigns, people interested in international development complain that foreign aid is almost never an electoral issue. Even broader issues in foreign affairs are rarely discussed in any depth. It seemed emblematic that the Munk Debate on foreign affairs, due to be held on October 1, was cancelled because Liberal leader Justin Trudeau refused ...

McLeod Group blog by Stéphanie Bacher, October 2, 2019

On numerous occasions, both in Canada and abroad, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland, expressed Canada’s concern over the rise of populism and authoritarianism around the world. For instance, in August 2018, she said: “The truth is that authoritarianism is on the march – and it is time for liberal democracy to fight back. To do that, we need to raise ...

McLeod Group guest blog by Julia Tops and David Manocchio, September 3, 2019

Under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada took a progressive feminist approach to G7 global governance. However, while seeking to tackle gender-based inequalities, Canada failed to sufficiently address the environmental dimensions of inequality. This narrow focus limited the space available to promote inclusive growth and combat inequality, the theme of this year’s G7 Summit in Biarritz, France. If the goal of prosperous and equitable societies is to be achieved, ...

McLeod Group blog by Stephen Brown, August 29, 2019

Does the world need more Canadians? Global Affairs Canada recently announced a new initiative to send more Canadians abroad to help developing countries fight poverty. The new Technical Assistance Program, says the press release, “highlights Canada’s commitment to innovation and partnership with Canadian experts from various sectors”, as well as “the commitments in the Feminist International Assistance Policy to adopt more flexible ...

McLeod Group guest blog by John Cameron, August 12, 2019

Just and sustainable global development requires legal and policy change in Canada and globally, and civil society organizations (CSOs) can play important roles in advocating for that change. Canadian policies on international development and humanitarian assistance, climate change mitigation, international trade and investment agreements, and the monitoring and regulation of Canadian corporations that operate overseas or that source inputs through global supply chains all have significant impacts on the well-being of ...