Liberals are working on Parliament Hill today by hosting a roundtable on international development, with an eye to repairing Canada’s global reputation damaged by the Harper Conservatives.
“Under the Harper government, the world has taken a different view of Canada – and it’s not a positive one,” said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
“We once had a proud reputation as the most generous, compassionate and giving nation for coming to the aid of the world’s vulnerable. We need to return to that position of prominence, not out of pride, but because helping our global neighbours in need is the right thing to do.”
Led by Liberal Critic for International Cooperation Glen Pearson and MP John McKay, today’s forum will hear from representatives of non-governmental organizations, development groups and the academic community.
“Leadership and vision is needed to steer Canada’s development assistance in the right direction,” said Mr. Pearson. “At this roundtable, we have an opportunity to listen and collaborate with different development representatives to come up with viable solutions to the challenges that have hindered Canada’s aid delivery.”
The first session will focus on finding Canada’s international assistance role in the world. The second session will address how to strengthen the effectiveness of Canada’s aid through accountability, transparency and limits on political interference in the partnership between the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and NGOs.
“Too many times NGOS are left in the dark about this government’s decision-making, without reason or rationalization,” said Mr. McKay. “We need measures that would make government more transparent to NGOs, to ensure a more effective partnership.”
Background: Canadian International Development Agency
• Mission: Lead Canada’s international effort to help people living in poverty.
• Mandate: Manage Canada’s support and resources effectively and accountably to achieve meaningful, sustainable results and engage in policy development in Canada and internationally, enabling Canada’s effort to realize its development objectives.
• Countries of Focus: The Government of Canada has decided to focus 80 percent of bilateral resources to 20 countries: Bolivia, Caribbean Regional Program, Colombia, Honduras, Peru, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Vietnam, Ukraine, West Bank and Gaza, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania.
• According to CIDA, the Government of Canada has prioritized its focus countries on the basis of the recipient country meeting these criteria: their real needs; their capacity to benefit from aid; and their alignment with Canadian foreign policy initiatives.
• Aid objectives like support for women’s education, guarantees of women’s property rights, and access to microfinance have been neglected by the Harper Conservatives
• In 2008, the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members spent an average of 0.47% of their GNI on ODA. Canada spent 0.32% of their GNI on ODA.
Background: Aid Effectiveness
• There is currently little accountability or transparency between NGOs and CIDA, leaving NGOs to wonder whether to apply to CIDA for funding because the priorities could shift once again at a minute’s notice.
• NGOs must have confidence that the government of the day will respect contracts that have been made. Arms-length organizations should be just that – at arms-length from government interference. Organizations with decades of history fighting poverty and supporting human rights should not have have their work be subject to political whims of the government of the day.
• CIDA once had a reputation as a reliable coordinator of multi-lateral aid. But to be a reliable partner with other nations, you must first be reliable with your NGO partners. Canada must begin the process of re-engagement by being consistent and respecting those partners who carry out CIDA’s programs.
Background: Quotes
• Gerry Barr, President-CEO of the Canadian Council for International Co-operation: “Africa is at the epicentre of global poverty. Several countries on the Continent are being dropped in favour of countries that are not doing as badly. This shift causes Canada’s leadership in Africa to be seriously questioned.”
• Manfred Bienefeld, Head of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University: “The biggest thing [CIDA must do] is give assistance in ways that help build the kind of social and political coherence that is ultimately the very foundation of development… rather than giving assistance, as CIDA increasingly does, basically for Canadian business to get access.”
• Make Poverty History: “For both taxpayers and aid recipients alike, we must also ensure that aid spending is accountable and transparent. Too much of Canada’s aid is currently not related to fighting poverty. The federal government should make poverty reduction the guiding objective of all aid spending, consistent with our human rights obligations, via a binding legislated mandate for aid.”
• Roy Culpepper, President and CEO of the North South Institute: “Despite the increase in Canada’s foreign aid this decade, as a percentage of gross national income (0.29 percent) we still fall well below the UN target of 0.7 percent. We are not only behind front-runners such as Norway (0.95) and Sweden (0.93) but also behind other G-8 donors including France (0.38), Germany (0.37) and the U.K. (0.36), and below the average aid country effort of 22 OECD donors of 0.45 percent.”
