News Archives - Cooperation Canada

Budget Implementation Act (BIA) Amendment

by coopcanada2020 | May 17, 2022 | Direction and Control, News

Over 60 Canadian global development & humanitarian organizations are standing together to urge the Government of Canada to amend the Budget Implementation Act (BIA) so we can engage in more equitable partnerships with communities at the forefront of change in Canada and in the world.

Informed by several legal opinions, our view is that the BIA reinforces the colonial and paternalistic approach to the relationship between charities and the partner organizations supporting their charitable purposes. It makes the current regime more challenging for organizations to fulfill their charitable purpose by embedding a rigid and prescriptive approach to funding non-qualified donees inside and outside Canada in legislation. It makes the system more confusing, risky and challenging for registered charities and non-qualified donees to work together, and as such, impedes philanthropic and charitable resources flowing to communities that need them the most.

Read our open letter and connect with our Policy Lead, Carelle Mang-Benza, for more details.

Read our open letter here

Podcast on 2030 Agenda and the SDGs

by coopcanada2020 | May 12, 2022 | News

Cooperation Canada’s Research and Policy Officer, Ana de Oliveira, joined colleagues from organizations around the globe to discuss how country-led evaluations play a role in assessing the progress of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. Organized by EvalSDGs, the International Institute for Environment and Development and the German Institute for Development Evaluation, this is the third episode of the podcast mini-series ‘Sustainable Development Goals – Evaluating progress for a brighter future.’

Listen to the episode

Cooperation Canada’s Membership Satisfaction Survey Report

by Cooperation Canada | May 6, 2022 | News

Cooperation Canada has just launched its 2022 Member Satisfaction Survey Report. The report is the result of an in-depth study based on responses to the survey distributed to members from October to December 2021.

The main objectives of the survey were to understand members’ priorities and align Cooperation Canada’s work with them, to inform Cooperation Canada’s annual planning with direct input from members, and to have a standardized framework for measuring member satisfaction over time.

You can view the executive summary of the report here. The full report, however, is available to our members only.

Happy reading!

Cooperation Canada’s Statement on the Situation in Ukraine  

by coopcanada2020 | Apr 26, 2022 | News, Press release

The world is in intense turmoil. Day after day, the Ukraine crisis sends shocking reminders that peace and stability cannot be taken for granted. We must work collectively to uphold peace, democracy and human rights. Cooperation Canada urges Canada to continue to deploy its feminist leadership in its response to the crisis resulting from the attack on the sovereign territory of Ukraine. We call on Canada to continue to address humanitarian needs, contribute to peace processes, and stand up for democracy and human rights. 

 As casualties, suffering, and destruction increase, upholding the principles of International Humanitarian Law remains a top priority. This encompasses safeguarding all civilians, regardless of race, colour, religion or national origin, who are forced to flee or remain in Ukraine, protecting civilian infrastructure, and guaranteeing that humanitarian organizations have unobstructed access to people at risk. With mainly women, children, and the elderly on the move, the needs of those escaping the horrors of war are diverse. There are already distressing reports of human trafficking and Russian soldiers using sexual violence as a weapon of war. Canada must stand firm in its condemnation of such acts and take appropriate action to ensure safety for all. 

The needs of Ukrainians are here and now, but the effects of the crisis are spreading and will be felt in the years to come. Conversely, the dividends of peacebuilding are long-lasting. As Canada articulates its feminist foreign policy, the approach must be comprehensive, coherent, and robust. Humanitarian assistance, peace-building efforts and long-term development funding should draw on Canada’s legacy of championing women as rightful leaders with proper representation at political tables and in consolidating peace and security. Supporting Ukrainian national and local civil society – who are on the frontlines of the humanitarian response to this crisis – is critical.  

The ripple effects of the war in Ukraine are hitting those in precarious socio-economic situations harder. As these impacts increase, our attention and financial commitments to alleviating human suffering and addressing other crises cannot decrease. We welcome Budget 2022’s significant support for Ukraine. Nevertheless, it is imperative that resources are not diverted from other global hotspots. Canada must remain steadfast in its support for countries such as Afghanistan and Yemen, among others, and for the crises resulting from conflict, the global COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. Canada can lead the way and use its global voice to encourage the international community to do the same.  

Cooperation Canada is encouraged by the increase to international assistance in the 2022 federal budget

by Cooperation Canada | Apr 7, 2022 | News, Press release

April 7, 2022 (Ottawa) – As conflict, humanitarian emergencies, COVID-19 and climate change wreak havoc across the globe, Cooperation Canada is encouraged by today’s 2022 federal budget which includes an increase in Canada’s international assistance and a willingness to address barriers to charitable activities in international cooperation.

This budget demonstrates that the government remains committed to international assistance as an effective way of enhancing health, security, prosperity and human rights around the world.

“International assistance is a proven tool to support peace, security and equitable and sustainable development,” said Kate Higgins, Cooperation Canada’s CEO. “As the world faces the triple crises of conflict, COVID-19 and climate change, Canadian leadership is vital,” Higgins said.

The budget sees Canada’s international assistance reach over $8 billion, an increase from $7.6 billion in 2020-21. While no timetable for future spending is provided, it is encouraging that the government is moving forward on its commitments to increase Canada’s international development assistance budget each year in support of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This increase puts us on a path to being in line with our Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) peers.

Cooperation Canada is thrilled that this budget responds to the repeated calls by the charitable sector to reduce red tape that inhibits charitable activities in Canada and abroad through the government’s support for Bill S-216, The Effective and Accountable Charities Act. Cooperation Canada supports Bill S-216 as proposed.

“As the world faces multiple crises, we are encouraged by both the increase in Canadian aid and a willingness to make long-awaited reforms to outdated charity legislation that will enable Canadian international development and humanitarian organizations to advance equitable, feminist partnerships around the world,” Higgins adds.

About Cooperation Canada

Cooperation Canada brings together Canada’s international development and humanitarian organizations and advocates for them by convening sector leaders, influencing policy and building capacity. Together, we work with partners both inside and outside Canada to build a world that’s fair, safe and sustainable for all.

Press Contact

Gabriel Karasz-Perriau

Communications Manager

Cooperation Canada

gkaraszperriau@cooperation.ca

(514) 945-0309

A Parliament that works for a more stable world

by Gabriel Karasz-Perriau | Mar 29, 2022 | News

Working in partnership across the sector, Cooperation Canada joined the 495 individuals and groups that requested resources and support through the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance’s pre-budget consultations in 2021. Our submission asked for an investment of $1.5 billion of new and additional funding to the international assistance envelope (IAE) to reach $9 billion in Budget 2022-23 and was reinforced through a follow-up submission in February 2022.

In the face of growing global needs and Canada’s current commitments to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this is a modest ask. Conflicts, floods, droughts, heatwaves, diseases, and famine continue to wreak havoc on the lives of millions of people. Despite this, in the recently released third report of the Standing Committee on Finance, the only reference to international assistance is found in its 54th recommendation referring to Canada’s commitment to international development in the context of education, “skills training and applied research for the transition to a net-zero world.” Cooperation Canada is puzzled by this narrow perspective of international development and naïve belief that a net-zero world is even possible and compatible with an inequity-plagued and crisis-prone world.

We support Canada’s recent announcements, including pledges for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, Yemen, and Afghanistan, and funding announcements to fight the global TB epidemic, among other challenges. These are some of the many global humanitarian and development crises that require our sustained and predictable assistance and remind us of our collective vulnerability and the interdependency of our world.

The Report did also include several recommendations to address the climate change emergency, including Recommendation 142 about publishing a roadmap to eliminate ineffective fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 to meet Canada’s G20 and G7 commitments. But, should Canada pick and choose global commitments to meet?

Canada has notoriously failed to meet the 1970 standard of spending the equivalent of 0.7 percent of the gross national product (GNP) on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), a standard proposed by our own former Prime Minister Lester Pearson. Moreover, the International Development Minister’s mandate letter includes a commitment to annual increases to ODA in line with our commitments to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – and yet we see no mention of official development assistance at all in the report. This is disappointing because we know that there are many more speedbumps on the road to global stability, speedbumps that can jeopardize the government’s ambition of “delivering for Canadians now.”

Can Canada really deliver for Canadians in isolation?

We welcome political efforts to ensure stability and predictability to get things done and produce tangible results on social inequality, climate change, and reconciliation. But these efforts cannot be divorced from our global commitments and responsibilities.

Does this government still want to be a champion of feminism, human rights, stability, and shared recovery from the pandemic both at home and abroad? If so, it is time to back our ambitions with the stable, predictable, and long-term financing needed to build resilience around the world.