Ottawa set off a flurry of criticism from foreign aid advocates when it announced that the Canadian International Development Agency will merge with the foreign affairs and trade department.
The federal Conservative government made the announcement in its March 21 budget, arguing it was necessary for “policy coherence.”
It said a separate minister for development and humanitarian assistance will be maintained within the department and CIDA priorities will continue.
“Poverty alleviation through development assistance and the provision of humanitarian assistance in times of crisis are a tangible expression of Canadian values which the government will continue to advance on the international stage,” said the budget. “To that effect, core development assistance will remain intact.”
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Once legislation is approved, the department will become Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.
The food aid group most closely aligned with Canadian farmers took a cautious approach in its reaction.
The Winnipeg-based and church run Canadian Foodgrains Bank said the result of the merger is not yet known and CIDA minister Julian Fantino said mandate and programs of CIDA will not change.
The CFB has a five-year $125 million food aid agreement with CIDA that runs until 2016 and executive director Jim Cornelius said in a statement issued from Winnipeg that the five-year deal is not in jeopardy.
He said the impact of the change will depend on how it is implemented. Fantino said the change will put development objectives on the same footing as trade and diplomacy within government even as critics worry that the focus will diminish.
“It will depend on how things are structured,” Cornelius said. “It will be vital that the aid program under the new department (DFATD) retains a strong and focused mandate on the goal of reducing global poverty.”
Other aid groups expressed more concern.
“We are extremely concerned that this new direction for CIDA means that development assistance will be used to advance Canada’s prosperity and security rather than focusing solely on the needs and aspirations of the poor,” World Vision Canada president Dave Toycen said in a March 21 statement.
CARE Canada and Oxfam Canada also weighed in.
“Canada’s foreign policy and trade interests should not compromise the purpose of aid which is poverty alleviation and human rights,” said Oxfam Canada’s international programs director Anthony Scoggins. “Foreign affairs is not in the business of reducing poverty.”
In Winnipeg, former Liberal foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy also argued that if implemented properly, this move could increase the influence of development issues in foreign affairs and trade debates.
