Government’s poverty reduction mandate praised
Ottawa has unveiled the details of its plan to amalgamate international assistance programs with trade and foreign affairs bureaucracies.
Most aid groups are giving the plan a passing grade.
When plans for the merger were announced in the March budget, aid activists and opposition MPs worried that Canada’s international aid and development efforts would simply become an arm of economic, trade and foreign affairs priorities.
Details contained in the budget implementation bill presented to Parliament April 29 appears to have alleviated some of the concerns.
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The bill includes details about the new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act, which will be the legal framework for the end of the Canadian International Development Agency as a stand-alone government agency.
The legislation specifies that the mandate of the international development minister will be “to foster sustainable international development and poverty reduction in developing countries and provide humanitarian assistance during crises.”
Aid groups said it is what they wanted to hear.
World Vision, a Christian aid and advocacy organization, issued a statement supporting the amalgamation plan because the legislation “reaffirms Canada’s commitment to poverty reduction. Responding to the needs and aspirations of the most vulnerable children and families around the world is an expression of Canadian values and generosity.”
The Canadian Foodgrains Bank echoed the praise for a legislative mandate for “poverty reduction.”
Executive director Jim Cornelius said in a statement it is encouraging that the legislation gives the international development minister the same status as the trade minister. Both will report to the foreign affairs minister.
Mark Fried, policy officer with Oxfam Canada, said the bureaucratic structure and mandate are acceptable, but the pace of the bureaucratic realignment could be a problem if it drags on. Hundreds of millions of dollars allocated for aid spending have not been spent because the minister has not authorized it
“If the reorganization slows that down even more or makes the problem worse, that will be a concern,” he said.
International co-operation minister Julian Fantino came under fire from opposition MPs in the House of Commons last week because of a report from auditor general Michael Ferguson recommending that the government be more clear and transparent in reporting on the effectiveness of its foreign aid spending.
Fantino said reporting transparency and results assessments will be improved, but he rejected arguments that the government is breaking the 2008 Official Development Assistance Accountability Act.
“Our efforts on the international level of assistance and development are certainly well entrenched,” he said. “We are receiving appreciation from countries and others who are receiving our aid. Obviously there are some issues that we need to deal with, and we will, but to say we are not observing the law or acting otherwise is irresponsible.”
