McLeod Group Blog

Coalitions: The Narcissism of Small Differences

Coalitions: The Narcissism of Small Differences

McLeod Group Blog, Sept. 14, 2015

[Third of three McLeod Group blogs about Coalitions]

In a two-party political system, two parties dominate the political scene, and in an election one has the expectation of forming a majority government.

The Canadian two-party system has become something of a fiction, played out in the hopes and aspirations of three different parties and often in majorities that are that in name alone. The Harper ‘majority’ of 2011—54% of the seats—was achieved with only 39.6% of the ...

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Coalitions: Realities and Constitutional Practices

Coalitions: Realities and Constitutional Practices

McLeod Group Blog, Sept. 10, 2015

[Second of three McLeod Group blogs on the subject of Coalitions]

With a federal election in the offing and polls showing no party likely to win a majority, there is renewed talk of a coalition government. Canadians look back nervously to the fumbled efforts to create a coalition in December 2008, and some basic questions arise. What is constitutionally legal? What is allowed under Parliamentary practice?

The basic rules of government-forming in Canada are informal, derived ...

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COALITION? (Don’t) BE VERY AFRAID!

COALITION? (Don’t) BE VERY AFRAID!

McLeod Group Blog, Sept. 8, 2015

[First of three blogs on the subject of coalition governments]

A coalition government is an alliance between two or more political parties, either before or after an election. Normally coalitions involve a formal agreement on the fundamental directions of public policy to be adopted during the mandate of the coalition, and on how Cabinet seats are to be allocated among the parties involved.

Although commonplace in other countries, when faced with the prospect of a Liberal/NDP coalition ...

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Welcome to Fantasy Island: Financing for Development

McLeod Group Blog, July 28, 2015

It’s pretty much official: The UN’s hugely ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), not yet formally launched, aren’t going to be worth much more than the paper they are being written on. If proof is needed, just read the 39-page report of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Addis Ababa in July.

There, the world’s development ministers, a few heads of state, the aid community and what the UN likes to ...

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Foreign Aid: Think of it More as a Dating Site

McLeod Group Blog, June 24, 2015

If you’re in favour of foreign aid, there is good news: Development aid from the world’s industrialized countries remained steady at US$135.2 billion in 2014, after an all-time high in 2013.

If you think aid should go to the poorest countries, however, there is bad news: They only got 28% of the total, a drop of 16% in a single year.

Among OECD member countries, the ten least generous—all at less than 0.2% of gross national ...

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The One We Would Write: A Mandate Letter for Canada’s Next Development Minister

The One We Would Write: A Mandate Letter for Canada’s Next Development Minister

McLeod Group Blog, June 16, 2015

You will serve as Minister of International Development Cooperation, with full cabinet membership, reporting directly to me as Prime Minister. As Minister you will:

Policy

  •  Rebuild Canada’s capacity to be a strong global development actor after a decade of institutional neglect and distorted priorities.
  • Develop programs within a broad made-in-Canada framework that does not rely on norms and precedents of G7 and OECD member states. Engaging the South is critical to Canada’s future well-being, its economic, political and ...
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What’s Good for the Goose: Universality and the SDGs

What’s Good for the Goose: Universality and the SDGs

McLeod Group Blog, June 1, 2015

Universality – the idea that certain norms should apply to all countries alike – is a crucial feature of many aspects of international life, from the United Nations Charter to the Declarations of Human Rights. Still, the idea that wealthy nations should be submitted to the same standards as poor ones can be a surprisingly touchy political subject. The latest example is the UN’s new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDGs are the successors to those ...

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‘NEW, INNOVATIVE, BLENDED’ – CANADA’S PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT FINANCE INITIATIVE

‘NEW, INNOVATIVE, BLENDED’ – CANADA’S PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT FINANCE INITIATIVE

McLeod Group Blog, May 11, 2015

In the 2015 Federal Budget, the Conservative Government announced the creation of a Canadian development finance ‘initiative’. Details remain scanty. In the name of ‘coherence and effectiveness’, the budget states that the government has established the new initiative to enhance private sector development, achieve meaningful development outcomes, and raise people out of poverty.

Despite claims about advancing ‘new’, ‘innovative’, and ‘blended’ financing by involving the private sector, neither promoting the role of the private sector ...

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Canada Balancing Budget on Backs of World’s Poorest

Canada Balancing Budget on Backs of World’s Poorest

Guest blog by Liam Swiss, April 22, 2015

Liam Swiss is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Memorial University in St. John’s. He teaches courses on development, gender, globalization, and research methods.

The latest foreign aid numbers were released on April 8. Globally, aid remains at near record high levels (US$135 billion). This is good news for the global fight against poverty. The numbers tell a rather depressing story, however, if you are Canadian. In the past ...

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REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK

REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK

McLeod Group Blog, April 15, 2015

Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), has come up with a novel idea: asking Canadians to board a train that left the station months ago.

The ‘train’ is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have been under negotiation at the UN and around the world for the past two years. The SDGs will build on the 2000-2015 Millennium Development goals and will establish the most comprehensive set of development plans ever conceived. ...

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