On March 21, the Honorable Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation, issued a statement as part of the Canadian Government’s Economic Action Plan that indicated the government’s intention to amalgamate the Canadian International Development Agency with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. World Renew – a leading Christian, international development and disaster response organization based in Burlington, Ontario – has concerns about what this means for the world’s poor.
“We hope that the government of Canada will continue to work with and through non-government organizations like ours to ensure that the voice of the poor is being heard and that needs are being met beyond the areas where Canada has trade relationships.”
“While we appreciate the statements made by Minister Fantino of the Government of Canada's commitment ‘to deliver assistance to those most in need through vital programs such as the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health’ and that the decision to amalgamate the ministries would have ‘no impact on Canada’s international assistance budget,’ we are concerned that the strong alignment of development assistance with foreign policy and trade will potentially side-line countries in the deepest levels of poverty and need,” said Ida Kaastra-Mutoigo, World Renew Director.
World Renew has a long history of walking alongside people in poverty in some of the world’s poorest communities.
“As we build relationships with community members we are able to work with them to identify their most pressing problems and formulate appropriate solutions,” said Mutoigo. “We hope that the government of Canada will continue to work with and through non-government organizations like ours to ensure that the voice of the poor is being heard and that needs are being met beyond the areas where Canada has trade relationships.”
“World Renew also joins other charities in calling on our Canadian government to increase and better direct its aid for developing countries. The Canadian people are known for their generosity,” Mutoigo concluded. “This week, the United Kingdom announced a firm commitment to achieve the UN target of contributing 0.7 per cent of GDP to international aid. Despite a similar commitment by all parties in Canadian parliament, our country has failed to live up to our promises. We currently rank in the bottom half of 22 countries for our aid funding. This must change. There are men, women, and children around the world who need us to take action to improve education, health, agriculture, access to water, women’s rights and good governance. We need Canadians at the forefront of making this happen.”
World Renew currently receives Canadian government support for programs in Bangladesh, Honduras, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Senegal, including a recent agreement to fund four youth internships overseas. World Renew does not expect that yesterday’s announcement will affect any of these current funding agreements or ongoing programs.