McLeod Group Blog

December 17, 2019

Dear Deputy Minister MacLean,

Congratulations on your appointment as Deputy Minister of International Development at Global Affairs Canada (GAC). We wish you all the very best as you settle into your new job.

Since you have been a senior public servant before, you will know that your first job as Deputy Minister is to manage your Minister. We recommend that you do watch a few episodes of Yes, ...

McLeod Group guest blog by Ryan Katz-Rosene, November 19, 2019

Yesterday’s blog highlighted the contradictions between economic development and climate action, focusing on the oil and gas sector. However, that is not to say that there’s no possible win-win scenario, even in the Prairies. In fact, numerous opportunities await, with four obvious areas of opportunity: a) renewable energy; b) regenerative agriculture; c) oil well reclamation; and d) alternative fuels.

The renewable ...

McLeod Group guest blog by Ryan Katz-Rosene, November 18, 2019

The 2019 federal election revealed an underlying contradiction between Canada’s climate change mitigation policy and its energy development strategy. On one hand, voters rewarded the Trudeau government’s efforts to take bold action on climate change. On the other hand, the Prairie provinces demonstrated deep discontent with what they saw as a ...

McLeod Group guest blog by Rebecca Tiessen, November 14, 2019

The Conservative Party’s 2019 election platform promised significant cuts to Canada’s aid program. In response, several leading thinkers in the Canadian aid community highlighted the importance of foreign aid for a wide range of issues that affect Canadians and partner communities around the world.

Yet foreign aid remains a misunderstood and increasingly divisive issue among Canadians. It is time to strategize ...

November 12, 2019

Dear Minister,

Welcome to your new job as Minister of International Development! The post you have just accepted offers the chance to make a real difference for Canada and the world if you build alliances and play your cards right. As long-time observers of and participants in the aid game in Ottawa, we humbly offer you the following advice as you settle into your new job.

One of the first things you receive upon arrival in your new office ...

McLeod Group blog, October 29, 2019

Now that the dust has settled after the election, it’s time to look at what a minority government might mean for Canadian foreign policy and the role of aid in development cooperation. Unfortunately there were not many signs from either the campaign, where foreign policy was scarcely mentioned, or in the parties’ official platforms, which were short on details. Indeed, the Conservative Party promised to ...

McLeod Group blog, October 28, 2019

BRAC is one of the world’s foremost NGOs, ranked at the top of global charities. Based in Bangladesh, it has a staff of 100,000 and an annual budget of approximately $1 billion. With this kind of profile, some might wonder why, earlier this year, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) agreed to contribute over $8 million to BRAC. ...

McLeod Group blog by Stéphanie Bacher, October 18, 2019 

In its 2019 platform, the Liberal Party claims that “Canada has earned its place in the world, anchored by a reputation for defending democracy, human rights, and the rule of law”. This statement seems completely at odds with the Trudeau government’s position on Canada’s arms exports to Saudi Arabia, which has been a major concern for many human rights organizations.

In 2014, ...

McLeod Group, October 10, 2019

We are writing to express our concern that to date and with less than two weeks to the elections there has been no serious discussion of Canadian foreign policy and the role of foreign aid. Given the changing and serious nature of global challenges, we believe it is important to hear from our political leaders how they see the role of Canada in the world.

We are particularly concerned about their views on foreign aid. Improving both ...

McLeod Group blog by Stephen Brown, October 3, 2019

Be careful what you wish for. During Canadian election campaigns, people interested in international development complain that foreign aid is almost never an electoral issue. Even broader issues in foreign affairs are rarely discussed in any depth. It seemed emblematic that the Munk Debate on foreign affairs, due to be held on October 1, was cancelled because Liberal leader Justin Trudeau refused ...