MPs look to support Syrian rescue workers after ‘riveting’ Ottawa appearance
Moved by “riveting” stories of life and death told by members of the famed Syrian ‘White Helmets’ to the House Subcommittee on International Human Rights late last month, MPs say Canada must work to ensure that the cash-strapped search and rescue organization continues its humanitarian work in the war-ravaged country. Subcommittee chair Michael Levitt (York […]
TB is a clear and present danger in Venezuela and beyond
March 24 was World Tuberculosis Day, a day to raise awareness that TB is not a disease of the past, but the top global health threat of today. In 2016, it was the leading cause of death from infectious disease, surpassing even HIV/AIDS, claiming 1.7 million lives, about 15 per cent of which were children. Venezuela […]
Without action, we will lose an entire generation of girls
This June, when it hosts the G7 summit, Canada will have five broad issues for the agenda, as set by the prime minister. One of these is gender equality and women’s empowerment. With less than three months until world leaders meet, the Canadian government has put out a social media call for Canadians to share […]
Why Canada should care about World Water Day
On March 22, World Water Day marks the start of the United Nations’ International Decade (2018-2028) for Action: Water for Sustainable Development. Why should Canadians care? The 2017 RBC Canadian Water Attitudes Study confirms that we take water for granted, typically viewing it as an unlimited and abundant resource. At the same time, Canadians very […]
Shaping the ‘Canadian way’ in Africa
OTTAWA—I remember quite clearly one fall morning several years before I retired from Global Affairs Canada when I joined other staff at a roundtable coffee-and-muffins breakfast with the deputy minister responsible for international development. I was the last to speak. I described my responsibilities for trade in 25 countries in West and Central Africa. “My […]
Time for a global Canadian food policy
The government is soon to release a new food policy for Canada. With six departments actively engaged, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the helm, the national food policy has occasioned an ambitious and often contentious—but widely welcomed—debate. The engagement of so many departments, not least Health Canada, speaks to the growing understanding in policy […]
How Canada and the IICA are trying to ease climate change’s harm to family farms in the Americas
My recent visit to Ottawa resulted in the strengthening of cooperation efforts to benefit vulnerable areas in the Americas. The agency I lead, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), together with several prestigious and active organizations based in Canada, such as the International Development Research Centre and the International Institute for Sustainable Development, […]
Did the finance minister table a sexist budget?
The avowed purpose of the recent federal budget was to look at public expenses through a feminist lens. Disappointingly, the budget only included small increases for foreign aid. In reality, foreign aid will be growing at a slower pace than other government expenditures despite having been frozen for five years, and will be far from […]
Will Canada’s aid policy for women really make a difference?
Since the introduction of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy in June last year, close to half a million Rohingya women and children have fled terrible violence. Many recount harrowing stories of rape and sexual abuse, loss of family members or being separated from loved ones during flight to safety. They arrive in Bangladesh hungry and […]
Go for gold and boost aid funding
Canada’s performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics put us near the top of the world. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about our record on international development. Our level of assistance has never reached the international target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI). Not only do we not have a gold medal, […]
