Blog by Stephen Brown, October 4, 2017

“I would love to increase the aid budget,” admitted Celina Caesar-Chavannes, Liberal Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of International Development, speaking at a recent conference organized by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation. But, she argued, “The system is broken.”

As an illustration, she told the story of a Pakistani woman whose husband had kicked her out of their home, changed the locks and left her destitute. Caesar-Chavannes rhetorically asked, “No ...

McLeod Group Blog, September 25, 2017

Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy, launched by Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau in June, has been welcomed by many Canadian organizations and individuals as an exciting step towards a renewed approach to foreign aid. But niggling doubts haunt its implementation: Is Global Affairs Canada “fit for purpose”?

When Juan Somavía was appointed head of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1999, he wanted to deepen the organization’s focus on decent work for both ...

McLeod Group Guest Blog by Ian Smillie, August 1, 2017

A recent op-ed in the Globe and Mail talked about Canadian aid to Haiti. The print edition spoke of “more bang for the buck” and called it a new “Canadian-led approach.” The online edition said, “Canada must do more with less.” However, the subject of the op-ed is about neither of these things.

According to the author of the article, Bjorn Lomborg, Director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, his think-tank did ...

McLeod Group Blog, June 26, 2017

Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland’s address on June 6 laid out what was meant to be a bold new vision for Canadian foreign policy in a hostile international environment. However, the speech repeated familiar arguments and promises regarding the Canadian government’s commitment to signing more free trade agreements (FTAs) and to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In the face of Donald Trump’s protectionist rhetoric, Freeland’s speech attempted to position Canada as ...

McLeod Group Blog, June 20, 2017

On June 8, Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau announced Canada’s “first feminist international assistance policy”. It was warmly welcomed by the audience at Global Affairs Canada, composed largely of Canadian civil society organizations that deliver assistance to developing countries. The new policy describes a major focus on gender equality and the rights of women and girls (with a target of 15% of the aid budget, up from 2% currently) and attention to women ...

McLeod Group Blog, June 19, 2017

The week of June 5 was likely a milestone in Canada’s foreign policy history with not one, not two, but three major statements on elements of the country’s foreign policy framework. It is fair to say that all three of the statements, on diplomacy, defence and development, were long overdue. The first of the statements was made by Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered in the House of Commons on June 6, and was ...

McLeod Group Blog, June 5, 2017

As Canadians wait for International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau to release the government’s overdue international assistance strategy, it is interesting to consider the minister’s latest announcement on May 9 of funding for Canadian civil society organizations (CSOs). The occasion was the Global Impact Soirée organized by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation, the umbrella entity for Canadian CSOs engaged in development cooperation.

Minister Bibeau announced $100 million dedicated to small and medium-sized Canadian civil society organizations ...

McLeod Group Blog, May 15, 2017

On May 5, Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced that Montreal would be the headquarters of Canada’s new Development Finance Institute (DFI). This follows Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s Budget 2017 declaration that the DFI was to be Canada’s new “innovative finance” tool to help investors in developing countries. This step is far from innovative and a poor substitute for increasing foreign aid.

The Trudeau government’s announcement is actually the repackaging of the “Development Finance Initiative” ...

McLeod Group Blog, March 24, 2017

From an international assistance perspective, Budget 2017 was disappointing, stingy and in some respects hypocritical. It mainly recycled old commitments and failed to provide any new money.

There has been no shortage of pressure to increase the volume of aid. Calls for a significant boost can be found in last year’s International Assistance Review, which generated a large volume of public input, as well as the report of the House of Commons Standing ...