McLeod Group blog by Betty Plewes and Brian Tomlinson, April 19, 2022

Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, made a powerful plea to northern countries at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow last year: “We have come here to say two degrees of global warming is a death sentence for millions. Try harder, try harder.”

It is one of the tragedies of the global climate crisis that those countries that are the least responsible for creating the ...

McLeod Group guest blog by Nyambura Githaiga, April 13, 2022

The war in Ukraine is leading to a drop in food production, higher food prices and an increased risk of famine around the world. High-income countries should take three steps to help prevent hunger from spreading. First, avoid sanctions on food and fertilizer. Second, increase food assistance in step with higher food prices. Third, prioritize famine prevention.

Before the war, global hunger was already on the rise. Over the past few years, ...

McLeod Group blog by Stephen Brown, April 11, 2022

We have to give credit when credit is due, but also recognize obfuscations when we see them. The Canadian government’s 2022 budget, released on April 7, provides opportunities for both regarding development assistance. There is not much to parse, though, as not even two full pages of the 280-page budget document are devoted to “international assistance”. In them, there is some good news, but little by way of new ...

McLeod Group blog by Lauchlan T. Munro and Stephen Brown, February 8, 2022

The tweet from Cooperation Canada after the webinar said it all: ‘“We want to be a voice for the low-income countries”, explains @HarjitSajjan of Canada’s response to the pandemic #COVID19 around the world’. Funny thing, we thought the low-income countries could speak for themselves. In fact, they do. Often. It’s just that Canada is not particularly good at listening to them.

Above all, poor countries ...

McLeod Group guest blog by Thando Malambo, December 16, 2021

Despite growing calls for the decolonization of global health and the international aid industry more broadly, colonialist patterns continue to shape the language and response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in relation to African countries. Colonial prejudices and narratives of Africa as a site of disease and contagion remain dominant in global health discourse, most recently evidenced by the knee-jerk reactions to the detection ...

McLeod Group guest blog by Najim Dost, November 22, 2021

Despite no longer making the headlines, the situation in Afghanistan is a lot worse now than it was in August, when the world watched in horror as people fell off a military airplane leaving Kabul Airport.

What should Canada do for Afghanistan? In four words: less talk, more action. George Marshall’s comments in the wake of post-WWII European rehabilitation couldn’t ring more true: “the ...

Guest blog by Mario Renaud and Robert Letendre, November 18, 2021

Most observers of Canada’s place on the international stage will regretfully acknowledge that Canada’s foreign policy pales in comparison to what it once was. We are a long way now from a time when Lester B. Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to multilateral peacekeeping. But it is not too late to rejuvenate Canada’s voice and influence in the international community.

Recognizing our global interdependence

Globalization and countries’ ...

McLeod Group blog by Stephen Brown, October 28, 2021

The new federal Cabinet has been sworn in, with fresh faces for two of Canada’s international-facing portfolios: Mélanie Joly as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Harjit Sajjan as Minister of International Development. Both are surprising choices in unnecessary changes. The revolving doors in ministerial appointments to Global Affairs Canada just diminish the country’s international reach and influence.

Joly will be the fifth foreign minister in six years, a situation the Globe and Mail ...

October 27, 2021

Dear Lt. Col. Sajjan,

Congratulations on your re-election to Parliament and on your recent appointment as Minister of International Development. We believe that you have the skills and the opportunity to resurrect Canada’s reputation as a respected partner with developing countries and multilateral institutions for effective development cooperation. There is much to do. As long-time observers of and participants in the aid and foreign policy game in Ottawa, we humbly offer you the following unsolicited advice as you ...

McLeod Group guest blog by Andrew Dawson and Liam Swiss, September 16, 2021

Each year, Canada and other donors spend billions of dollars in foreign aid to promote the rule of law. In 2019, Canada disbursed roughly $200 million in aid targeting conflict, security, and legal and judicial reforms. Despite the large sums spent, successes have been few and far between – as reflected by the lack of concrete improvements in the level of security or in the ...