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 ...

McLeod Group guest blog by Ian Smillie, August 6, 2019

The Globe and Mail recently ran a story written by two employees at a Canadian government-funded organization called Convergence. Headlined “Blended finance offers global solutions,” it explained – or at least it tried to explain – how “strategic use of capital from public sources to mobilize private-sector funds can help developing countries.”

“Blended finance,” the article states, “is the strategic use ...

McLeod Group blog, June 13, 2019

Women Deliver, the world’s largest gathering on the health, rights, and well-being of women and girls, made headlines last week in Vancouver. Hosted by Canada, it was the setting for a major announcement by Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Minister of International Development, of a contribution of $300 million towards the newly launched Equality Fund. The donation is specifically targeted to build gender-lens ...

McLeod Group blog, June 3, 2019

The OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) has released its preliminary report on member countries’ development assistance expenditures in 2018. It makes for interesting, if discouraging, reading. Overall, global official development assistance (ODA) decreased by 2.7% from 2017, with a smaller share going to the poorest countries.

When it comes to Canada’s performance, the report looks at both the quantity and quality of aid. Despite its claims ...