Aid groups keep watchful eye on Canada’s commitment to alleviating poverty
OTTAWA, ON—The ink is still drying on the Canadian government's move to amalgamate the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) as part of Budget 2013.
Tabled before Parliament on April 29, Bill C-60 implements legislation that will guide the organization of the new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.
For the first time, the bill enshrines in law the responsibilities of a Minister for International Development, which are to assist the Minister of Foreign Affairs "in carrying out his or her responsibilities relating to international development, poverty reduction and humanitarian assistance."
Some Christian humanitarian aid organizations have questioned whether the new arrangement will still hold poverty alleviation in developing nations to be a key concern of Canada's foreign agenda, or whether it will be forced to compete with the country's economic interests.
Jennifer Henry, director of KAIROS Canada, a faith-based ecumenical organization with development programs around the world, says the amalgamation strikes an ominous note for Canada's development framework.
"There's a concern that [there will be] one department with an incompatibility between two interests. There's concern that development is the weaker of the two," says Henry. "It's possible that Canadian interests would trump international development interests."
In 2009, CIDA ended its 35-year funding relationship with KAIROS based on supposed "divergence of priorities," says Henry, and the relationship has not been renewed.
However, some organizations, including World Vision Canada and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), have released statements supporting the legislation.
MCC executive director Don Peters says the amalgamation may result in positive changes down the line.
"What the government is calling for is policy coherence, and this isn't a new idea," says Peters. "I think this has the potential for development to influence trade and diplomacy. But it's something that we have to watch carefully and ensure it goes one way instead of the other."
Henry urges caution in framing "policy coherence" as necessarily positive.
"If what we were talking about was coordinating policy to better meet the needs of people in developing countries, to impact the lives of the poorest, and if we were harmonizing Canadian trade policy and industry toward those objectives, coherence and structural coming-together is not a bad thing," says Henry.
"But the question that remains is how do we ensure that that's the direction that the policy coherence is moving in?"
The Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a partnership of churches and church-based agencies fighting global hunger, has had support from CIDA since it was founded in 1983. Currently, the Foodgrains Bank receives $25 million a year from CIDA as part of a five-year funding arrangement that will run until 2016.
"It's been a 30-year funding partnership and a good relationship," says Jim Cornelius, executive director.
Cornelius says that although the Foodgrains Bank will continue to urge the new department to remain focused on finding specific strategies to alleviate poverty, the organization is reasonably satisfied with the new legislation.
"Generally we find the legislative framework is something that is workable and can lead to the delivery of an effective aid program," he says. "We're pleased that there's going to be a separate specific deputy minister responsible for the aid program."
In a press release responding to the tabled legislation, Cornelius reaffirmed the Foodgrains Bank's commitment to a strong Canadian aid program.
"It is vital that Canada's aid program makes the needs of the poor and suffering central to its mandate and activities," he says. "The degree to which suffering is alleviated, poverty is reduced, and families and communities have access to the health and education services they require should be the primary measure of success."
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