McLeod Group guest blog by Rebecca Tiessen, May 11, 2026
“It is a moment for us to confront the world as it is, not as we wish it to be”. This quote from the Ministers’ introduction to Global Affairs Canada’s latest departmental plan echoes Prime Minister Mark Carney’s comments at the 2026 World Economic Forum, where he calls for taking on the “world as it is”.
Yet, sound policy is forward-looking, built on a vision that reflects our values and priorities, and demonstrates a commitment to future-proofing against injustices. Keeping feminism at the heart of what Canada does is central to future momentum. Feminist foreign policy is essential to creating such a vision, to advancing global leadership on feminist priorities, and to building the world we want.
Is the feminist momentum gone? The messaging from Canadian political leadership is inconsistent, and clarity is needed.
Speculation on the end of Canada’s feminist foreign policy can be traced to Prime Minister Carney’s comments at the 2025 G20 meeting in Johannesburg. When asked, he said he “wouldn’t describe our foreign policy as feminist foreign policy”. Further backstepping on feminist foreign policy can be found in the Global Affairs Canada’s 2026–2027 Departmental Plan, which no longer centres feminism, feminist foreign policy or the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP).
Yet, evidence of ongoing feminist foreign policy priorities are noteworthy. For example, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced in April that the position of the envoy for women, peace and security would be restored as part of Canada’s longstanding commitments to ending gender-based violence and other feminist security challenges.
Anand shared similar commitments to feminist foreign policy priorities in November 2025, two days after the Prime Minister’s G20 remarks. When questioned about Canada’s foreign policy no longer being considered feminist, she confirmed that feminism remains “a core value of our government, and it is an important part of our foreign policy”, adding that “Canada continues to stand for democracy, the rules-based, international order, human rights, gender equality, environmental protection and reconciliation”.
And despite reduced attention to Canada’s FIAP, this policy remains in place, with results still being reported to Parliament. Furthermore, Global Affairs Canada’s Departmental Plan mainstreams Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus), signalling ongoing possibilities for intersectional feminism linked with “policies and programs [that] take into consideration gender impacts and reduce systemic barriers”. GBA Plus is an analytical tool and a process for designing and delivering initiatives that meet the needs of diverse groups with a goal of reducing inequalities and ensuring no groups are overlooked or negatively impacted by policies or programs. Indeed, the government marks GBA Plus Awareness Week every year during the second week of May.
While GBA Plus has the advantage of being a legal requirement for all federal budgets, it is often used as a technocratic, methodological tool rather than a guiding lens for policy-making and program design. It certainly is not designed to create opportunities to ensure funding for feminist projects and to guarantee that staff and resources are in place to achieve that vision. Most significantly, the emphasis on GBA Plus – combined with the Prime Minister’s comments and the GAC plan – signals a shift away from the language of feminism, despite Anand’s reminder that “We shouldn’t be afraid to use the word feminist”.
Similarly, neither the Prime Minister, his Cabinet, nor managers at Global Affairs should be afraid to have a feminist vision for the world we want, to provide the clarity we need about that feminist vision, and to be intentional in our aspirations for achieving it. While GBA Plus serves as an essential tool and process for analyzing current realities, feminist foreign policy provides the vision we need for building a more peaceful, secure and prosperous world. By keeping feminism at the heart of our foreign policy, Canada will ensure that our current actions are strategically linked to the future we want.
Rebecca Tiessen is Professor at the School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, and co-Director of the Women, Peace and Security Research Network.