CIDA being folded into DFAIT: The Canadian Council for International Co-operation concerned about CIDA’s mandate being watered down.

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CIDA being folded into DFAIT: The Canadian Council for International Co-operation concerned about CIDA’s mandate being watered down.

Ottawa, March 21, 2013. Reacting to today’s announcement included in federal budget 2013 to amalgamate the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and CIDA, the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC)* asks that CIDA’s core mandate and long experience in poverty alleviation be preserved.

CCIC has for long proposed for CIDA to be promoted to a senior ministry with its own legislation. Therefore the commitment made today by the government to enshrine in legislation the role and responsibilities of the Minister that oversees the Canadian aid budget is a welcome announcement.

However, CCIC expects that this legislation will build upon and be complementary to existing legislation that defines a clear mandate for Canada’s development assistance (ODA Accountability Act), requiring that Canadian international aid contributes to poverty reduction, takes into account the perspectives of the poor, and is consistent with international human rights standards.

The important change announced today raises the question of how trade, foreign policy and international development objectives will co-exist under the same roof and which ones will have precedence, if any. Given the recent tendency at CIDA to associate Oversea Development Assistance (ODA) to Canadian commercial interests, there is reason for concern.

“There has been historical tension between the mandate of CIDA, which has long term goals for poverty reduction in the poorest countries, and other mandates of the Government of Canada– such as DFAIT’s legitimate mandate to promote Canada’s immediate national economic and political interests,” says Julia Sanchez, President-CEO. “Even with a separate Agency, this tension has been present; so it will be important to watch closely how this will be addressed, now that the poverty alleviation mandate will be housed within the same ministry as other mandates. Our hope is that CIDA’s mandate will not be watered down any further”, she added.

In the shorter-term, CCIC and its member organizations are concerned about the impact that this amalgamation process will have on the Agency’s already stretched capacity to deliver on its commitments and announced programs in an effective manner. For example, general funding for civil society organizations (CSOs) and specific funding for the volunteer sending CSOs, has been put on hold for the past two years, and new projects approved for specific purposes have been significantly delayed.

The ideal scenario would see the new department preserving CIDA’s experience, expertise and the many fruitful partnerships established between Canadian international development organizations and organizations in developing countries to pursue efforts in favour of poverty reduction, equity and human rights. Before this important transition takes place, CCIC would welcome a broad and transparent consultation process with all key stakeholders in the international development sector – Canadian civil society organizations (CSOs) working on international development, CIDA staff, CSOs and governments in developing countries, and multilateral organizations.

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Julia Sanchez, President-CEO: 613-241-7007, ext.323 jsanchez@ccic.ca

Chantal Havard, Communications and Government Relations Officer, ext. 311, chavard@ccic.ca

*The Canadian Council for International Co-operation is a coalition of the key Canadian civil society organizations working globally to achieve sustainable human development.