Aid: the face of Canada for many in the developing world
What is Canada’s face to the world—hockey? Tim Hortons? Mounties? It’s all those things. But for hundreds of millions of people in the developing world, it’s something far more significant—aid. For many in the world’s poorer countries, the face of Canada is life-saving food, medicine, health care, shelter after a disaster, clean water, education and […]
The other story about Venezuela
When Canada convenes the Lima Group on Feb. 4, which since August 2017 has been trying to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Venezuela, top diplomats from the participating countries will certainly have in mind the hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants from Venezuela. This is indeed an unprecedented population outflow in […]
Canada must commit its fair share of climate finance to help the world’s must vulnerable
When I met Agness Mamamba and Imelda Simon in their adjoining fields in Tanzania, they told me of the erratic rainfall affecting their crops. Now middle-aged, these women have been farming since they were children. They have noticed that rains today are coming later and are no longer consistent throughout the season. Instead heavy rains […]
There are serious flaws in foreign aid
Last week, the final day of the #HearMeToo campaign, dedicated to combating gender-based violence, coincided on International Human Rights Day. The campaign sought to bring attention to abuse faced by women and girls everywhere and created opportunities for dialogue among activists and decision makers. As part of these efforts, the Canadian government joined the EU, […]
‘Ambitious’ feminist aid targets potential victim of Liberal ‘gender washing,’ says report
A new report says Canadians should be skeptical if the Liberals meet their “highly ambitious” targets on increasing gender-focused international aid. It’s a concern echoed by opposition critics, who warn of the potential for the “feminist washing” of the country’s aid program. Canadian aid is “quite unfocused,” “spread too thin,” and vulnerable to the “danger […]
Better to help improve than shun a company trying to recover after CSR challenges
Anyone listening to the news knows we live in a climate of high expectations. Corporations, governments, financial institutions, and companies of all sizes are under the microscope in terms of whether they conduct business in a responsible way. Where once corporate social responsibility (CSR) was a nice-to-have, it’s now an imperative. However, responsible business practices […]
Budget bill will reduce government accountability for Canadian foreign aid
To help ensure that Canadian foreign aid is spent on supporting people in need in developing countries, rather than things like white elephants and Canadian commercial interests, Canada has legislation that mandates a focus on poverty reduction. The legislation also seeks to ensure that the government takes into account the perspectives of poor people and […]
Pipeline contractors, charities lead October lobbying blitz as activity picks up
Lobbying activity has spiked in the last couple of months as groups sought to redouble their efforts in the lead-up to the next election, according to the federal lobbyists’ registry. Lobbyists filed a total of 3,126 communication reports in October and 1,816 in September, compared to 1,054 in July and 1,157 in August, lobbying records […]
Toilets save lives, people without them deserve our help
World Toilet Day was Nov. 19. The United Nations feels that proper sanitation is such an important issue it has dedicated a day to the subject. We get up in the morning and most of us do not give a thought to the fact we have a toilet. We use it, then we flush it […]
Canada tackling link between early marriage, preterm birth
KIGALI, RWANDA—As a humanitarian worker from Ontario, I’m proud to put Canada’s feminist foreign policy into action by championing the health and rights of women and girls around the world. Earlier this week, I was in Rwanda for the International Conference on Family Planning, along with the federal government and other international agencies, to advance […]
