Minister of International Development appearance before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (AEFA) on study on the Canadian Foreign Service and elements of the foreign policy machinery within Global Affairs Canada, and on other related matters

2022-11-03

Background Information

Meeting scenario

• Your in-person, one-hour appearance begins at 12:30 p.m.
• The following Global Affairs Canada officials are also accompanying you in-person during the appearance and may be called upon to respond to questions:

• Accompanying Panelists:
  • Christopher MacLennan, Deputy Minister, International Development
  • Alexandre Lévêque, Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy
  • Vera Alexander, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Human Resources
• Accompanying in Audience:
  • Stephane Cousineau, Assistant Deputy Minister, International Platform;
  • Anick Ouellette, Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Planning, Finance and Information Technology and Chief Financial Officer, and;
  • Patricia Peña, Assistant Deputy Minister, Partnerships for Development Innovation

Committee context

• After your opening remarks of 5 minutes the committee will move to rounds of questions.
• Unlike House of Commons Committee practice, questions will be asked on a first come, first served basis. Senators will try to catch the eye of the Clerk by raising their hand indicating they wish to be added to the list of questions.
• Any Senator can show up to a Senate committee meeting and pose questions, even if they are not a member of that committee.

Committee membership & interests

• For further information on committee membership, please see the committee bios included in this briefing binder.
• So far during this 44^th Parliament, the committee has studied:
  • The conflict in Ukraine and its implications for peace and security,
  • The Frozen Assets Repurposing Act, and,
  • The present study on the Canadian Foreign Service and elements of the foreign policy machinery within Global Affairs Canada.
  • A comprehensive review of the provisions and operation of the Sergei Magnitsky Law, and the Special Economic Measures Act
• In hearings on this study since it opened in April of this year, Committee members’ questions have focused on the following issues:

• Human Resources:
  • Staffing and talent management; mobility, rotationally and pool management; under-staffing, recruitment and the need to develop surge capacity; disproportionate balance of staff at HQ vs. missions; and amalgamation.
  • Skills Development and Maintenance: maintaining development expertise; developing and maintaining diplomatic skills, and geographic and specific functional expertise; bilingualism; foreign language competencies; and mentorship.
  • Diversity and Inclusion: importance of diversity; under representation of black and Indigenous Canadians in the Foreign Service.
  • Decision-making: Organizational structure; hierarchy; strategic policy planning and coherence; innovation; risk-aversion in senior management and duty of care.
  • Consular: Geographic distribution, underrepresentation in some countries/geographic areas; nomination of heads of missions; role of non- foreign-service staff at mission; recruitment, retention and treatment of LES; and use of consulates.
  • Canada, Provinces and Canadian engagement on Foreign Policies: interdepartmental partnerships and co-operation; provincial representation overseas, engagement with Canadians.
  • Thematic/Geographic: Ukraine response; Havana syndrome; Multilateral organizations and partnerships; digitalization of work; GAC Internal Review; and security policy.

Opening Remarks

Draft - MINE opening remarks (5 minutes – 720 words)

Study on the Canadian Foreign Service and elements of the foreign policy machinery within Global Affairs Canada

November 3, 2022

Thank you Mr. Chair.

Let me begin by thanking this Committee for the invitation to appear today to speak on this important topic.

As we speak, the global development agenda is facing some of its most consequential challenges;

Cascading and interlinked global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate and food crises, and the war in Ukraine, have further set back progress on the SDGs. Getting us back on course to achieve the 2030 Agenda will take consolidated global efforts.

The pandemic wiped out more than four years of progress on poverty eradication and pushed 93 million more people into extreme poverty in 2020.

Increased heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods are already affecting billions of people around the globe and causing potentially irreversible damage to the Earth’s ecosystems.

We are facing a global food security crisis. With global food prices at historic highs and hunger and malnutrition rapidly increasing, early predictions find that hunger may impact up to 747 million people this year alone.

Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression has exacerbated the crisis, with the cost of food, fuel, and fertilizer reaching record levels, what the United Nations Global Crisis Response is calling the largest cost-of-living crisis of the 21st century.

High food prices are disproportionately affecting the poor who spend most of their incomes on food and other basic needs. The results of this war are reverberating around the world, but especially felt in Africa, where the numbers of hungry and undernourished are growing faster than anywhere else.

We need to be able to address the root causes of global conflict and instability before they take hold in fragile contexts.

This means investing in prevention, and prevention starts with making sure that people’s basic needs are met.

Beyond basic needs we also need to expand economic opportunities for low income countries and take advantage of our partnerships in emerging economies to strengthen the nexus between trade and development.

To meet the unprecedented global challenges we face, we must be united in our efforts and ensure we have the very best tools and expertise at our disposal.

As you know, nearly ten years ago the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade merged with the Canadian International Development Agency to form the organization we have today.

We recognize the need to better leverage our international assistance in the context of our broader diplomatic efforts.

And that means modernizing GAC’s tools and approaches.

• Being able to recruit and retain international development expertise in the department;
• Building career trajectories that ensure we have a diverse workforce that represents Canada at home and abroad;
• Deepening our lines of communication and our ability to collaborate effectively across streams;
• Benefiting from technological advancement while maintaining the cybersecurity of our systems and ensuring our information stays protected at HQ and across our mission network;
• Becoming less top heavy, and empower employees to have greater levels of decision making authority;
• Ensuring our global footprint is aligned with our goals of, among others, supporting the poorest and most vulnerable around the world; and
• The need for fast and flexible responses to rapidly evolving international crises.

We need to have a greater presence abroad, including more boots on the ground in the right places working with local partners and civil society to meet development objectives.

We need to better communicate to Canadians what the issues are, what we are doing to help and why investing in international assistance makes the world a safer place for Canadians.

Through recruitment, training and investment, we need to cultivate development specialization and recognize the value of applying this expertise across streams and issues.

We need to transform our approach to grants and contributions management, and in fact, these efforts are already underway. In order to deliver on this ambitious goal, we have created a 5-year programme of work and a dedicated team within the Department, which will touch all parts of how we do international assistance, including looking at our processes, our technology and our people and culture. As we advance, we are actively engaging GAC partners.

I welcome the work of this committee and look forward to partnering together for the modernization of Canadian foreign policy capacity.

Corporate support function placemats

Overview of corporate services: finance and contracting

Key priorities

• Provide corporate leadership and vision for the development of departmental short-term, medium term and long-term financial strategies.
• Modernize financial management planning to improve client service and support decision making.
• Support Grants and Contributions (Gs&Cs) Program Branches to achieve departmental priorities and objectives through timely investment planning, financial management and contracting support services.
• Advance Grants and Contributions Transformation, encompassing process streamlining, new approaches to risk management, and an expanded relationship with external partners.
• [REDACTED]
• Increase the proportion of women- owned and Black, Indigenous and People of Colour procurement.

Business Environment

• Recent crises around the world (e.g. Afghanistan, Ukraine) require timely departmental action that has an impact on financial operations, spending and budget forecasting.
• Public servants may be subject to personal liability under Canada’s Anti- terrorism Act for authorizing payments meant to support Humanitarian Assistance projects in Afghanistan.
• Gs&Cs programming partners continue to rely on special budgeting and contracting measures enacted at the beginning of COVID-19 and to adapt to shifting pandemic cost structures.
• Global inflation puts increasing pressure on the purchasing power of departmental budgets.

Departmental capacities

• Robust financial management accountability principles underpin a sound approach to ensuring value for money, oversight and management of public resources.
• The Department uses and is building automated data-entry and artificial intelligence capacities for the tracking and reporting of Gs&Cs funding. This improves the policy process, data-driven decision-making, and tracking of financial commitments.
• Innovative Finance requires increased technical resources for financial analysis and agreement negotiation commensurate with an important and emerging programming area.
• Regional Contract Review Boards established in 2018-19 currently cover 100% of missions abroad.

• The Department participates on the interdepartmental Greening Govern- ment ADM Steering Committee focusing on green procurement.

Challenges

• The complex budgeting environment, with overlapping financial and political commitments, encumbers the majority of the Gs&Cs budget (over 90%), leaving little room for new priorities.
• The structural deficit in the Departmental management reserve limits the capacity to absorb unexpected incoming pressures. It also limits the ability to pursue opportunities for modernization and innovation.
• The Department has reduced travel budgets in response to Budget 2021, in the form of reductions in budget reference levels the current fiscal year.

Opportunities

• Launching the Financial Sustainability Strategy (FSS) to identify funding flexibility for internal reallocations and to prepare for future budget constraints.
• Implementing a Risk Appetite Framework and complementary risk appetite statements for fiduciary and financial risk areas.
• Leveraging data to support Gs&Cs financial and fiduciary decision- making, including the development of a project cost database.
• Expanding transparency and engagement with external partners to improve interactions on financial and fiduciary matters.
• Supporting and informing the Treasury Board Secretariat/Office of the Controller General review and renewal of the transfer payments policy framework.
• Renewing the Department’s Exceptional Contracting Delegations.

Overview of corporate services: people

Key priorities

• Support government-wide human resources priorities while strengthening the Department’s People pillar in accordance with the work being undertaken on the future of diplomacy by:
  • Increasing our workforce capacity and talent management.
  • Supporting the Department for a safe and healthy workplace in Head- quarters, in regional offices and abroad.
  • Strengthening equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
  • Ensuring sound and sustainable management of pay and benefits.
  • Enhancing our locally-engaged staff (LES) framework.

Alternative text

Canada-based Staff = CBS

Type of Employee

• CBS: 7,685
• LES: 5,497

CBS by First Official Language

• English: 61%
• French: 39%

Alternative text

CBS by Type

• Rotational (of these, 956 are abroad): 1,985
• Non-rotational: 5,700

Alternative text

CBS by Location

• Headquarters: 79%
• Missions: 19%
• Regional Offices: 2%

Alternative text

LES by Region

• Europe, Middle-East and Maghreb: 32%
• Asia-Pacific: 32%
• Americas: 25%
• Sub-Saharan Africa: 11%

Business environment

• The COVID-19 pandemic, the shortage of labour market availability, and economic uncertainties, including inflation, continue to directly impact our operations and affect both salaries and costs for Headquarters and our international network.

Departmental capacities

• The Department has over 13,000 employees, of which 58% are CBS and 42% are LES. Some LES support Other Government Departments.
• The workforce abroad consists of 1,453 CBS (956 rotational) and 5,497 LES. At any one time, approximately 50% of the total workforce works abroad, represented at a rate of 74% by our LES.
• 178 missions, located in 112 countries and territories, are served by seven Common Service Hubs abroad that provide missions with HR services for LES staffing, contracting, procurement, and financial transactions.
• The workforce is relatively well- diversified. There are no workforce availability (WFA) gaps for most employment equity groups with the exception of Persons with Disabilities. Improvement is also needed at the executive levels for Indigenous and Black employee
• The Department has an enviable official languages capacity compared to other organizations in the public service with double the number of bilingual positions compared to the average of the public service. However, the language of work and senior level representation within the department has been raised as an issue.

Alternative text

Employees by Gender

• Canada-based: Female (57%) & Male (43%)
• Locally-engaged: Female (59%) & Male (41%)

Challenges

• Global pressures and the geopolitical context have implications for GAC’s footprint abroad, including new demands in the area of human resources.
• Irregular recruitment initiatives have created certain gaps in both the workforce complement and have affected specific business lines.
• Residual gaps exist in certain areas of diversity and inclusion, foreign service representation, as well as consistency in the provision of official language services.
• GAC is reviewing proposals to stabilize the funding for the LES benefits program, including minimum standards for LES maternity and parental leave, insurance, etc. This is part of a longer term LES framework reform project.
• The current health service framework shared between GAC and Health Canada is no longer conducive to ensure our Duty of Care

• The combination of residual COVID- 19 implications coupled with the largest assignment rotation abroad in recent history, has directly impacted all aspects of our foreign presence abroad. This includes impacts on our staff, their dependents, their movement, etc..

Opportunities

• Building capacity for a skilled, agile, diverse workforce to meet departmental needs. Ensuring effective recruitment and retention practices are in place to achieve long-term sustainability and high performance.
• Preventing workplace harassment and violence, injuries and incidents, and ensuring the safety and the physical and mental well-being of all employees in Canada and abroad.
• Building a safe, equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace, reflective of Canada’s diversity where everyone can bring their whole self to work.
• Paying our employees on time and accurately for the duties performed as well as reducing the potential impact on pay and benefits for staff working abroad.
• Developing management frameworks and systems to effectively and competitively manage the LES workforce in local labour markets, including in terms of employment benefits.

Overview of corporate services: technology and digital capacity

Key priorities

• Support the Future of Diplomacy initiative and GC Digital Ambition by seeking sustainable funding and resources to invest in modern infrastructure and tools.
• Support Future of Work efforts by ensuring the performance of GAC’s digital network, developing applications that enable the hybrid model, and increasing IM/IT resources to support the hybrid workforce.
• Enable GAC programs to better serve Canadians and partners through modern client relationship manage- ment solutions and case management systems combined with data and analytics for Foreign Diplomacy, Trade and Consular services.
• Engage with partners to support emergency preparedness efforts, such as Ukraine, through agile solution delivery and effective support.
• Empower the workforce with modern collaboration, analytics and information management tool, optimize processes through automation and digital solutions, and strengthen digital and data literacy.
• Modernize GAC’s network infra- structure to enable new cloud solutions, enhance performance, reduce technical debt and improve security.
• Decrease business risk by investing in secure classified communications and cyber security capabilities to protect our information, and by retiring aging applications.

Business Environment

• Global events such as the pandemic, socio-economic shifts, and geopolitical changes require more responsive, adaptive and resilient digital solutions.
• Technology advances shape how Canadian industry and global partners conduct business and drive expecta- tions. Attracting and retaining skilled workers requires modern solutions.
• Cyber security landscape is evolving rapidly. GAC is accelerating security improvements to counter increasingly sophisticated threat actors.

Departmental capacities

• GAC’s digital capabilities, including its cadre of Foreign Service IT Professionals (FSITP), supports all employees at Headquarters and abroad, including co-locators in missions, by ensuring that all employees have the tools needed to work, thus allowing GAC to deliver on its mandate.
• Modern enterprise solutions, such as the Microsoft 365 collaboration and productivity tools, case management solutions and analytics capabilities, and a modern IT service delivery model ensure that employees and co- locators are well-supported, and operations can continue during crises. Rapid implementation of infrastructure enhancements internationally have kept the client community productive.
• The Department has a track record of enhancing its global support model to transform the way employees work and deliver services at home and abroad. This is achieved by investing in staff training and upskilling.
• GAC can build cloud capabilities with advanced and secure platforms and can support the rapid deployment of solutions for responding to urgent needs. It has the capacity to support the modernization of business processes.

Challenges

• Ensuring Shared Services Canada’s focus on the Department’s key priority projects and to address expected network performance issues in a hybrid work context, requires ongoing engagement.
• There is a lack of adequate funding for the technical backbone required to digitize international service delivery and reduce technical debt (i.e. legacy infrastructure and apps). While the pandemic highlighted digital solutions opportunities, it also identified gaps in the digital infra- structure and the need to re-support service and programs delivery.
• The digital network requires sufficient human resources, with the skills and experience to carry out digital transformation plans. Staffing highly- skilled, full-time IT staff has been challenging, with current resource levels insufficient to fulfil the Department’s digital transformation.

Opportunities

• Seek sustainable funding to accelerate digital transformation and modernize GAC service delivery to Canadians at home and abroad.
• Focus efforts on talent management and recruitment to attract and retain skills in areas such as cloud and cyber security that are in high demand.
• Increase digital and data literacy across the Department.
• Transform the IM/IT Operating Model to build stronger partnerships and shared accountabilities between IM/IT and GAC programs.
• Deliver key business projects to support the Trade Commissioner Service, the Ukraine crisis, and Grants and Contributions Transformation.
• Accelerate work to improve GAC’s cyber security posture to enable international business, while protecting against increasing state actor cyber threats.
• Modernize the international network infrastructure by deploying cloud capabilities (Virtual Mission Model) to ensure the performance of digital solutions that support the hybrid model.

Overview of corporate services: physical network

Key priorities

• Continue to work with central agencies and internal stakeholders to modernize the domestic and international real property portfolio.
• Enable Canada’s presence abroad through sound management and delivery of resources, infrastructure and services.
• Ensure that personnel is safe, missions are more secure, and government and partner assets and information are protected.
• [REDACTED]
• Align all current and future Treasury Board submissions to the Government of Canada Greening Government Strategy requirements of net-zero emissions and climate resilience.
• Continue working on the renovation of the 125 Sussex office complex, which began in 2017 and will continue until 2028.

Business Environment

• The overseas network faces new financial pressures that strain affordability and require tradeoffs. Treasury Board Special Purpose Allotments tightly control the allocation of property funds and restrict flexibility.
• The overseas physical network exists to support departmental and client programs. Program demand drives footprint growth or shrinkage.
• Federal Government requirements for the management of real property, including the greening government strategy and policy renewal, are making real property management abroad more complex.
• The Greening Government Strategy sets the targets and requirements for all federal Real Property.

Departmental capacities

• Real property authorities for project approval, transactions, and construction contracts, delegated from Treasury Board to the Department, allow for the delivery of a majority of investments.
• Modernized and robust Investment and Project Management Framework for real property supports planning and delivery of projects and ongoing delegations of authority.
• The Department benefits from professional real property human resources capacity across strategic planning, operations, and service delivery functions.
• Emergent improvements to strategic planning informs investment decision-making.

Challenges

• The complexity of managing real property assets in 178 missions located in 110 countries presents challenges (e.g. shifting local security concerns, currency fluctuation, different standards, capricious real estate construction markets) to planning and implementation.
• Real property investments over long- term horizons for programs that adjust their needs on a shorter timeframe may result in a misalignment of real property investments to support priority departmental programs and outcomes.
• GAC must make up lost time resulting from deferred capital spending.
• Continued COVID-19 related travel restrictions have complicated/ slowed the ability to deliver real property investments, including duty of care obligations.
• COVID-19 related impacts to the global supply chain and service providers are driving substantial cost increases to real property projects.
• Plans have been adapted to create opportunities, including leveraging virtual tools and innovative tech, and engaging with local consultants, staff and external stakeholders.
• The alignment of Greening Government Strategy commitments with the existing GAC portfolio strategy, in order to ensure integration, must be maintained.
• Space reduction is required to support the overall GoC footprint reduction in Canada.

Opportunities

• Making adjustments to existing facilities to enable a return to the workplace under new pandemic and post-pandemic environment while respecting the requirement to reduce the overall Real Property footprint as mandated by central agencies.
• Supporting TB submissions on advancing priority projects.
• Advancing major real property projects.
• Responding to Treasury Board policy changes, the results of the Treasury Board Fixed Asset Review, and the Department’s internal audit.
• Modernizing the foundational elements of the Department’s portfolio planning, policy and performance management to better inform decision-making.
• Developing strategies for Greening Government Strategy targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Overview of corporate services: mission network management

Key priorities

• Ensure optimal functioning of Common Service Delivery Points (CSDP), which are fundamental to ensuring business continuity at missions, especially during the pandemic, mission closures, evacuations and repatriations.
• Optimize international supply chain operations and reorganize resources to enhance client service.
• Improve communication, understanding and management of the Costing Methodology to ensure Common Services provided abroad are financially sustainable for the Department and external partners.
• Continue partnership with the Canadian Foreign Service Institute, other relevant divisions at GAC and Other Governmental Departments to provide ongoing training of Management Consular Officers (MCOs) assigned abroad.
• Address MCO shortages through temporary duty assignments.
• Strengthen relationships and increase communications with stakeholders, partners, and clients.

Business Environment

• Service delivery in an international context requires a nuanced policy lens and adjustments to processes and activities to take into account local standards, laws and cultures.
• A shortage of shipping containers, skyrocketing shipping rates for certain routes, and congestion at international ports are having an impact on the relocation of personnel abroad and the delivery of projects at missions.
• Application of Duty of Care responsibilities across our mission network in a changing international environment.

Departmental capacities

• Over $550M is allocated annually to missions for property and common services.
• Seven Common Service Delivery Points abroad provide missions with support services for local employee staffing, contracting, procurement, and financial transactions.
• GAC distribution, warehousing and logistic operations have been significantly impacted over the course of the pandemic and important operational changes were made to ensure diplomatic mail services could be maintained in a safe and secure environment for our employees.
• The Mission Operations division is the Centre of Expertise for providing functional guidance, policies and procedures supporting MCOs to deliver on seven main business lines.
• Senior level interdepartmental committees provide strategic direction and oversight on international operations.

Challenges

• Requiring a more agile evidence- based system and process to enable global footprint reallocation based on departmental priorities
• Whole of government coordination with varying client requirements adds to the complexity of managing the network.
• Chronic Shortage of MCOs increases risk exposure at missions and pressure to deliver GoC mandates abroad. Ongoing significant increase of temporary duty assignments.
• Difficulty recruiting qualified procurement and logistics specialists due to high demand across Government of Canada for experienced resources.
• Dependency on others for goods procurement due to the GAC goods procurement authority. This can result in lengthier processing time.

Opportunities

• Continue development of data and key performance indicators to support management decisions on the footprint, strengthening centre of expertise, expanding finance, local staff, HR, contracting and procurement, and considering others (e.g. IM/IT, property, material management, Foreign Service Directives).
• Work towards resolving MCO staffing, training by implementing the revised workforce strategy.
• Identify and pilot increased delegation of authorities to missions.
• Continue supporting the GoC priority of reducing GAC’s carbon footprints via the procurement and deployment of low-emissions vehicles at both HQ and abroad.
• Continue large scale vaccine distribution and transportation of COVID-19 vaccines, boosters and pediatrics to missions abroad.

AEFA Members’ Biographies

Peter M. Boehm
(ISG – Ontario)

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: November 3, 2018

Professional background

• Studies: Ph. D in History from the University of Edinburgh, a Master's degree in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, and a Bachelor's degree in English and History from Wilfrid Laurier University
• Public Servant: Various positions at Global Affairs from 1983 – 2018, including: Deputy Minister for the G7 Summit, Deputy Minister of International Development, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canadian Ambassador to Germany, and Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organization of the American States.

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senate group: Independent Senators Group (November 3, 2018 – Present)
• Member: Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association (2018 – Present)
• Former Deputy Minister: G7 Summit and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister (2017 – 2018); International Development (2016 – 2017)

Committee membership

• Chair: Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2020 – Present)
• Member: Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence (2018 – Present); Standing Senate Committee on National Finance (2018 – Present); Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2018 – Present)
• Former Member: Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples (2018 – 2019); Standing Senate Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (2019 – 2020); Committee of Selection (2019 – 2020)

Points of interest to GAC

International Summit: Russia

• At a SECD meeting in June 2022, Senator Boehm stated that upcoming international summits are opportunities to deliver strong messages to Russia and he asked what is being done to reach out to other on this.

Ukraine:

• During a SECD meeting in June 2022, Senator Boehm asked if Canada had a plan to look at the long-term assistance that Canada could provide to Ukraine from a post-hostility perspective.
• At a NFFN meeting in June 2022, Senator Boehm asked for details regarding the distribution of the $500 million in terms of stocks, new acquisitions and direct transfers to Ukraine.

Peacekeeping:

• During Senate debate, Question Period, and Committees, Senator Boehm frequently highlights the importance of United Nations peacekeeping missions. From his perspective, the UN's role is to maintain international peace and security, by working to prevent conflicts, and by working proactively to lay the foundations for peace.

Other interests

Indigenous Relations

• During a Senate debate on Bill C-15 (An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) in 2021, Senator Boehm expressed his support for Indigenous Peoples, and the importance of ensuring their meaningful inclusion in Canadian society.

Gwen Boniface
ISG – ONTARIO

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: November 11, 2016

Professional background

• Police/Security: Served internationally for 10 years, including as Deputy Chief Inspector of Ireland’s Garda Síochána Inspectorate tasked with reforming Ireland’s national Police Service, as a Transnational Organized Crime Expert with the United Nations Police Division and as Deputy Executive Director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
• Commissioner: Served with Law Commission of Canada for 5 years as a Commissioner.
• Indigenous: Initiated a truth and reconciliation project in her home community of Orillia in 2019 with Indigenous and non-Indigenous members.

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senate group: Independent Senators Group (2016 – Present)
• Member: Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association (2017 – Present); Canadian Delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (2017 – Present)

Committee membership

• Co-Chair: Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency (2022 – Present)
• Member: Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2020 – Present); Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency (2022 – Present); Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (2017 – Present); Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (2017 – Present); Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament (2021 – Present)
• Former Chair: Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (2020 – 2021)

Points of interest to GAC

Foreign Service:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Boniface stated that the Foreign Service has a risk-averse culture and she asked how to rebuild an organization in a way that actually values contrary views.

Sanctions Against Russia:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Boniface wanted to know if sanctions that Canada and its allies has put on Russia are affecting the Russian economy and the Russian people and if there is evidence that suggests international sanctions are producing a behavioural change in the Russian regime.

Unfair Trade Practices:

• At an AEFA meeting in May 2022, Senator Boniface wanted to know how CBSA and the CITT investigate instances in which importations are being dumped or subsidized and if these practices have caused injury to Canadian producers.

Other interests

Defence & Security:

• With a background in law enforcement, Senator Boniface has a special interest in security issues, particularly those related to human trafficking and CBSA-related work.

Mary Coyle
ISG – NOVA SCOTIA

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: December 04, 2017

Professional background

• Studies: Bachelor’s degree in in languages and literature with a major in French and a minor in Spanish and a Master’s degree in rural planning and development.
• Rural Development : She subsequently worked as a Rural Development Advisor in Indonesia and later to support two State Islamic Universities develop their community engagement strategies.
• Involvement: Vice President and Director of the school’s Coady International Institute (1997 – 2014); Executive Director of the Frank McKenna Centre for Leadership (2014 – 2017)

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senate groups: Independent Senators Group (2018 – Present)

Committee membership

• Member: Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2019 – Present); Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples (2017 – Present); Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2020 – Present)

Points of interest to GAC

GAC Recruitment:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Coyle showed interest in GAC's recruitment process and asked if there was a strategy on the part of the department to attract senior or mid-career professionals.

Ukraine

• During an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Coyle wanted to know the role of Canada or any other country or international organization in supporting diplomatic channels of negotiation between Russia and Ukraine and asked if there was still a possibility of de-escalation through diplomacy.

Seized Russian Assets:

• At an AEFA meeting in May 2022, Senator Coyle wanted to know how the Russian assets seized by the government will be used.

Development assistance experts:

• At an AEFA meeting in April 2022, Senator Coyle mentioned the loss of many development assistance experts in GAC and asked whether with the departure of these experts the role of Global Affairs as a link to development assistance expertise in particular has been weakened.

Atrocities in Ukraine

• At an AEFA meeting in April 2022, Senator Coyle stated that “rape is a brutal weapon of war” and that atrocities and human rights violations throughout Ukraine have already been documented. She also asked what Canada is doing to support the Ukrainian government, or other organizations on the ground, to protect women and children from further sexual violence and what Canada is doing to support the preparation of the evidence required to support the eventual prosecution of war crimes.

Other interests

Russian Disinformation:

• During a Senate question period in April 2022, Senator Coyle showed concern about Russian disinformation campaigns which she considers very dangerous for Canadian democracy and world stability, and she asked what Canada is doing to counter these campaigns and what concrete actions are being taken to promote awareness of these dangers amongst Canadians active on social media platforms.
• Senator Coyle is an advocate for gender equality in the in Canadian public institutions and in Canadian society.

Marty Deacon
ISG – ONTARIO (WATERLOO REGION)

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: February 28, 2018

Professional background

• Commonwealth Games Canada: Executive Board Member & Chef de Mission (2012 – Present)
• Canadian Olympic Committee: Director, Executive Board (2009 – Present)
• Independent Consultant: Education consultation at the elementary and secondary school level (2016 – 2018)
• Waterloo Region District School Board: Superintendent & Executive Officer (2010 – 2016); Principal (2000 – 2010)

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senate group: Independent Senators Group (2018 – Present)

Committee membership

• Member: Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (2020 – Present); Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2020 – Present); Standing Committee on Official Languages (2022 – Present); Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament (2022 – Present)

Points of interest to GAC

Russia:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Deacon expressed concern about the risk of Russian use of chemical weapons in Ukraine and asked what options are available to Canada and other signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention if Russia uses such weapons.
• She also expressed concern regarding physical violence on women and children done by Russia in Ukraine and asked how Canada can help hold perpetrators accountable for sexual violence in Ukraine.

Foreign Services:

• During an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Deacon stated based on the comments of previous witnesses that “there are too many supervisors and not enough leash to allow Canadian foreign affairs officers to operate independently and with autonomy in their postings.``

Canadian Diplomatic Strategy:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Deacon asked what direction Canada should take as a middle power in its diplomacy given major changes on the international scene.

International Development:

• Senator Deacon considers that the development aspect in diplomacy is very important for a rich, medium-sized country like Canada. She regularly asks questions about Canada's development assistance efforts and resources.

Seized Russian Assets:

• At an AEFA meeting in March 2022, Senator Deacon wanted to know how the Russian assets seized by the government will be used and if unfreezing of Russian assets could be a condition of any peace agreement.

Other interests

Afghanistan:

• In 2021, Senator Deacon was contacted by several athletes, coaches, sports leaders and leaders in the LGBTQ2+ community to help them get out of Afghanistan.
• In a Senate question period in February 2022, she also reiterated he importance of the work involved in getting Afghans out of Afghanistan.

Culture Change:

• During a debate in the Senate on the Government’s role in combating racism in 2020, Senator Deacon asked what specific work has been done across the government to support black Canadians and Indigenous peoples.

Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia
ISG – NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR (NL)

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: June 1, 2018

Professional background

• Studies: Medical degree (MB.ChB.) and a Certification in Family Medicine (CCFP)
• Medicine: Practiced family medicine in Twillingate, NL (1984 – 2018)
• Community Engagement : Involvement with the local minor hockey executive, community outreach initiatives, and fundraising for the Lions Club and support of the Anglican Church Sunday school program.

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senate group: Independent Senators Group (2018 – Present)
• Member: Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association (2019 – Present)

Committee membership

• Member: Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2020 – Present); Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (2022 – Present); Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (2018 – Present); Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament (2019 – Present)

Points of interest to GAC

Privy Council Office:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Ravalia asked about the Privy Council’s role in interdepartmental coordination for Canada’s Foreign Service and Foreign Affairs.

Cybersecurity (Foreign Services):

• During an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Ravalia recognized the importance of modernizing Canada's diplomacy as well as modernizing its digital technologies to revitalize the foreign service and he asked if Canada has an infrastructure capable of addressing potential cybersecurity threats and whether it is working with its Fives Eyes allies on this issue.

Humanitarian aid to Ukraine:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Ravalia recognized violence against women and children, as well as population health issues in Ukraine and asked what Canada can do to help maintain an adequate supply of equipment and medicines to organizations assisting Ukrainians on the ground.

Space Industry and Cooperation:

• During an AEFA meeting in May 2022, Senator Ravalia wanted to get more details about the memorandum of understanding signed by Canada and the United States concerning the cooperation on the civil Lunar Gateway. He also asked if there will be competition between private industry and this particular program in the long term.

Africa:

• At an AEFA meeting in April 2022, Senator Ravalia suggested that in the context of evolving global challenges, Canada appears to be under-represented in some jurisdictions, such as on the African continent.

Vaccine:

• In 2021, Senator Ravalia has been a strong advocate for the redistribution of COVID-19 vaccines to disadvantaged countries and has repeatedly called for Canada's involvement in vaccine distribution in needy and underdeveloped countries.

Yuen Pau Woo
ISG – BRITISH COLUMBIA (BC)

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: November 10, 2016

Professional background

• Research: Senior Fellow in Public Policy, Institute of Asian at The University of British Columbia (2014 – 2021); Resident Fellow, Jack Austin Centre for Asia Pacific Business Studies Beedie School of Business at SFU (2014 – Present)
• Asia Pacific: President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (2005 – 2014); Distinguished East Asia Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (2014 – 2021); President of China Global: The Vancouver Society for Promotion of Chinese Art and Culture (2014 – 2020)

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senate group: Independent Senators Group (2016 – Present)
• ISG Facilitator (2017 – 2021)

Committee membership

• Member: Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2017 – Present); Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce (2021 – Present); Committee of Selection (2017 – Present); Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (2021 – Present); Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament (2021 – Present); Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations (2017 – Present)
• Former Chair: Committee of Selection (2019 – 2020)

Points of interest to GAC

Foreign Service Recruitment:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Woo showed a great interest in the recruitment process for the foreign service and asked about the methods to optimize this process.
• In another AEFA meeting in April 2022, he also asked for more clarification on the difference between the value of diplomats and experts.
• Senator Woo is also in favor of a greater recruitment into the Foreign Service of officials from other departments.

Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties:

• During an AEFA meeting in May 2022, Senator Woo recognized the importance of addressing anti-dumping and countervailing duties to protect producers and their workers and asked how the interests of consumers and importers of intermediate goods are addressed in these protectionist measures.

Russia Invasion of Ukraine:

• At an AEFA meeting in April 2022, Senator Woo implied his dissatisfaction with the fact that the government seems to want the conflict in Ukraine to continue over the long term and asked what Canada is doing to try to negotiate a quick end to the war to reduce human suffering.

Sanction to Russia:

• At an AEFA meeting in March 2022, Senator Woo showed his agreement concerning the use of the Magnitsky act to punish the Russian leaders. However, he expressed some reluctance regarding SEMA and FACFOA, which he believes may not achieve the goal of changing the behavior of these Russian actors.

Peter Harder
PSG – ONTARIO (ON)

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: March 20, 2016

Professional background

• Studies: Bachelor’s degree in Political Science
• Public Service : 30 years of experience in the Federal Public Service, including in the departments of immigration, public safety, industry, the treasury board and foreign affairs.
• Immigration : Senator Harder served as the founding Executive Director of the Immigration and Refugee Board.
• Foreign Services/GAC: He joined the Foreign Service in 1977; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2003 – 2007)

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senate groups: Independent (2016 – 2020); Progressive Senate Group (2020 – Present)
• Leader of the Government in the Senate (2016 – 2020)

Committee membership

• Vice-Chair: Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2020 – Present)
• Member: Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2020 – Present); Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency (2022 – Present); Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators (2020 – Present); (2022 – Present); Standing Committee on Human Rights (2021 – Present); Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (2020 – Present); Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (2021 – Present); Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2021 – Present); (2020 – Present)
• Former Member: Standing Committee on National Finance (2019 – 2020); Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (2019 – 2020)

Points of interest to GAC

Humanitarian Aid:

• During an AEFA meeting in March 2022, Senator Harder stated that Canada's humanitarian action should not focus solely on Ukraine, but on the collateral damage suffered by other countries that are unable to cope on their own.
• At Senate Question Period and AEFA meetings, he closely follows humanitarian operations and regularly asks questions about the logistics, resources and results of these operations.

Ukraine:

• At a Senate question period in March 2022, Senator Harder asked the government representative in the Senate what means Canada is considering to support military efforts and combatants in Ukraine other than a no-fly zone.

COVAX:

• At a Senate question period in December 2021, Senator Harder criticized the fact that the Canada promised 51 million doses out of its own surplus of stock to COVAX and through bilateral donations, but that only about 10 million of those vaccines have been delivered.

Amina Gerba
PSG – RIGAUD (QC)

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: July 29, 2021

Professional background

• Studies: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Business Administration
• Business: President & Founder of Kariliss Laboratories (1995 – Present); Co-founder of Kariderm (1998 – Present)
• Consulting: She started her own consulting firm, Afrique Expansion Inc., in order to build bridges between Canada and Africa, and encourage business opportunities (2003 – 2021 Present)

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senator : Progressive Senate Group (2021 – Present)
• Member: Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association (2021 – Present); Canada-France Inter-Parliamentary Association

Committee membership

• Member: Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2021 – Present); Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources (2021 – Present); Standing Committee on Human Rights (2021 – Present); Standing Committee on National Finance (2021 – Present); Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (2021 – Present); Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2021 – Present)

Points of interest to GAC

Canada’s Diplomatic & Trade Relations in Africa:

• During an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Gerba congratulated Canada for its participation in the African Development Bank to support the emergence and affirmation of Africa. However, she deplored the reduction over the years of the Canadian diplomatic network on the continent and asked why a country like Canada has such a small diplomatic network in Africa, when it is one of the main donors on the continent.
• She is a strong advocate for a Free Trade Agreement between African countries and Canada.

Global Food Crisis:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Gerba acknowledged the global food issues related to the conflict in Ukraine and asked what role Canada can play in limiting this crisis particularly in the most affected African countries.

Trade Remedy System: SME

• During an AEFA meeting in May 2022, Senator Gerba acknowledged the need to improve access to the trade remedy system for small and medium-sized enterprises and asked what actions have been taken by the government simplify access to the system for small and medium-sized businesses.

GAC Diversity & Recruitment:

• At an AEFA meeting in April 2022, Senator Gerba asked if there have been any significant changes as a result of GAC's announcement to increase the number of Black and Indigenous employees working in the executive branch.

Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine:

• At an AEFA meeting in March 2022, Senator Gerba applaud Canada’s efforts to help with the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis and asked how Canada can ensure that the humanitarian aid sent gets to the people concerned.

Bill S-217 (An Act respecting the repurposing of certain seized, frozen or sequestrated assets) :

• At an AEFA meeting in April 2022, Senator Gerba acknowledged the importance of this legislation, but expressed concern about the effects of such legislation on investment by foreign nationals in Canada.

Stephen Greene
CSG—THE CITADEL, HALIFAX (NS)

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: January 2, 2009

Professional background

• Politics: Candidate for the Reform Party in the 1993 and 1997 federal elections; served as Chief of Staff to Preston Manning of the Reform Party of Canada (1993 – 1996)
• Insurance: He worked in the insurance industry and became engaged in national and international insurance issues (1996 – 2009)
• Foreign Services: Worked at the Canadian embassy in Washington D.C. where he was asked to report on how the United States made its fisheries policies in the aftermath of the 200 mile limit; Worked in the Canadian Consulate in Boston where he managed the new boundary in the Gulf of Maine

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senate groups: Conservative Party of Canada (2009 – 2017); Independent Senators Group (2017 – 2019); Canadian Senators Group (2009 – Present)
• Deputy Liaison (2022 – Present)
• Non Parliamentary Committee: National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (2019 – Present)
• Deputy Government Whip in the Senate (2010 – 2015)
• Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate (2016 – 2017)

Committee membership

• Member: Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2019 – Present); Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament (2020 – Present); Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations (2019 – Present)
• Former Chair: Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce (2015 – 2017); Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization (2017 – 2019)
• Former Vice-Chair: Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2011 – 2013)

Points of interest to GAC

Policy Development:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Greene mentioned that the conflict in Ukraine will significantly change Canada's international policies and asked if GAC will be seeking the assistance of academics and experts to help adapt its policies.

UN Update:

• At an AEFA meeting in April 2022, Senator Greene mentioned the lack of relevance that the UN has in the conflict in Ukraine and he asked whether Canada should have as an objective to initiate discussions and work on the creation of the “United Nations, Part II”.

Ukraine:

• Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Senator Greene is in favor of more aid to Ukraine as well as the imposition of a no-fly zone.

Trade Agreements:

• At an AEFA meeting in May 2019, Senator Greene stated that he was in favor of all free trade agreement because it is benefit for Canada and its trading partners’ benefit but also to the global economy in general.

David Adams Richards
CSG – NEW BRUNSWICK (NB)

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: August 30, 2017

Professional background

• Writer : He is novelist, essayist, screenwriter and poet, whose commitment to the Miramichi River valley, his province, and the country is reflected in his body of work. His writings, through which he gives voices to the marginalized and helps to deepen the reader’s understanding of the human experience, have been translated into 12 languages, and are part of the curriculum of Canadian and U.S. universities.
• Recognition: In 2007, he was awarded the regional Commonwealth Writers’ Prize He is also a member of the Order of New Brunswick and the Order of Canada.

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senate groups: Independent Senators Group (2017 – 2018); Non-affiliated (2018 – 2019); Canadian Senators Group (2019 – Present)
• Member: Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association (2019 – Present)

Committee membership

• Member: Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2021 – Present); Standing Committee on National Finance (2019 – Present); Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (2017 – Present); Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs (2021 – Present); Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2020 – 2021)
• Former Vice-Chair: Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples (2013 – 2015)

Points of interest to GAC

Afghanistan:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Richards has shown a strong interest in Canada's relationship with Afghanistan through its embassy, particularly with respect to immigration issues and Afghan employees working at the Canadian embassy.

Russia:

• During an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator Richards wanted to know if the diplomatic approach is still possible with Russia and if there are discussions behind the scenes with Russia to calm the situation.

Ukraine:

• Senator Richards is in favor of imposing a no-fly zone in Ukraine and more military aid from Western countries. According to him, he does not think that the international court counts to make Putin responsible for his actions.

Havana Syndrome:

• At an AEFA meeting in April 2022, Senator Richards asked several questions about the Havana syndrome in order to know its repercussions, its frequency and its origin.

GAC and DND Relations:

• At an AEFA meeting in April 2022, Senator Richards deplored the fact that Canada had the fourth largest army and the third largest navy in the world at the end of the second world war but not anymore and suggested that greater collaboration between GAC and DND would improve the situation from a defence and security perspective.

Leo Housakos
C – WELLINGTON (QC)

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed : January 8, 2009

Professional background

• Studies : Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration
• Business: He had a successful career in business while engaging in public service through various functions including serving two terms as Vice-President of the Hellenic Congress of Quebec and as a founding member of the Hellenic Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
• Advisor: Worked as a staffer in the Ministry of Multiculturalism of the Honourable Gerry Weiner and then served as an advisor to the Mayor of Montreal between 2001 and 2002

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senator Groupe: Conservative Party of Canada (2009 – Present)
• Deputy Whip of the Opposition (2020 – Present)
• Speaker of the Senate (2015)
• Speaker Pro Tempore (2014 – 2015)

Committee membership

• Chair: Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2021 – Present)
• Member: Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2009 – 2021/2022 – Present); Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2009 – 2016/2021 – Present); Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (2009 – Present); Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament (2009 – Present); Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency (2022 – Present); Committee of Selection (2021 – Present)
• Former Chair: Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2020 – 2021); Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (2013 – 2016); Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament (2017 – 2019)
• Former Vice-Chair: Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2011 – 2013)

Points of interest to GAC

Sanction Regime:

• On May 31, 2022, Senator Housakos introduced Bill S-247 An Act to amend the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law).
• During a debate on Bill S-217, An Act respecting the repurposing of certain seized, frozen or sequestrated assets, in June 2022, Senator Housakos spoke in favor of the bill by mentioning that “it will further strengthen the Magnitsky Act and strengthen our ability as a country to properly deal with corruption and human rights abuses around the world”.
• He also mentioned that parliamentarians need to be unafraid to start applying these kinds of measures and this kind of thinking when dealing with the world’s thugs and bullies. For this reason, in recent years he has pressured the government to apply sanctions to countries such as the Philippines, Russia, Cuba, China and Belarus.

Foreign Interference:

• At a AEFA meeting in October 2022, he acknowledged the issues related to the increase of foreign interference in Canada and asked the witnesses what kind of legislation would identify and protect Canada in this regard.

Afghanistan:

• At a AEFA meeting in October 2022, Senator Housakos stated that “all Canadians feel a degree of shame of how we let down our friends and supporters in Afghanistan” and he asked if the failure was because of a lack of intelligence or because of an error from GAC or IRCC.

Roxham Road:

• In October 2022, he asked several questions about Roxham Road, criticizing the fact that since 2017 Prime Minister Trudeau has encouraged illegal immigration to come to Roxham Road.

Michael L. Macdonald
CPC—CAPE BRETON (NS)

Appointment to the Senate

• Appointed: January 1, 2009

Professional background

• Studies: Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History
• Executive Assistant : Served as Executive Assistant of the Hon. Gerald Sheehy (1980- 82), to Premier John Buchanan (1982-84). Thereafter, to the Hon. Tom McMillan (1984- 85), and to the Hon. Stewart McInnes (1985-87)
• Provincial Politics: He ran twice provincially for the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party in 1993 and 1998
• Business: President and owner of the Fortress Inn Louisbourg (1988 – Present)

Political and parliamentary roles

• Senate Group Member: Conservative Party of Canada (2013 – Present)
• Co-chair : Canada-US Inter-Parliamentary Group (2019 – Present)
• Treasurer: Canada-Korea Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group (2020 – Present)

Committee membership

• Chair: Committee of Selection (2021 – Present)
• Member: Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2009 – Present); Committee of Selection (2021 – Present)
• Former Chair: Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2020 – 2021)
• Former Vice-Chair: Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources (2017 – 2019); Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2015 – 2017)

Points of interest to GAC

Foreign Services Culture:

• At an AEFA meeting in June 2022, Senator MacDonald was very critical of the participation in an event at the Russian Embassy by members of GAC and stated that “ it is not an ordinary mistake” and that “it indicates some very disturbing things about the culture of a department”.
• He was also interested in the impact of selecting non-career diplomats to be ambassador.

UN Operation:

• Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Senator MacDonald has on several occasions addressed the impact of the conflict on the functioning of the UN.

China:

• Senator MacDonald is particularly concerned about China's intentions. At an AEFA meeting in April 2022, he noted that China is currently learning from the conflict in Ukraine about tactical and operational matters and about what is happening in the information and technological environment.

Agriculture Producers:

• At an AEFA meeting in March 2020, Senator MacDonald expressed his concern about the impact of the Carbon Tax, which he said would make it difficult for Canadian agriculture to compete with American producers in a free trade environment.

CUSMA:

• At the time of the CUSMA negotiations, Senator MacDonald followed closely the talks with the Americans and asked a lot of questions to make sure that the agreement would be a win-win for Canada, especially regarding the automotive industry.

Supply Management:

• At an AEFA meeting in March 2020, Senator MacDonald stated that he “is not a big fan of supply management in principle”.

Additional Materials

Issue note – 2030 agenda for sustainable development section one

Section one

Key messages

• Canada is committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda at home and abroad, and to accelerating progress on the SDGs through the Decade of Action.
• Multiple crises, including COVID-19, climate change and protracted global conflict, underscore the need for all levels of government and all citizens to step up their ambition to achieve the SDGs.
• Canada is working to make progress across all the SDGs, including efforts to eradicate poverty, advance gender equality, protect the planet, and improve equality of opportunity for all.
• Canada has made significant progress advancing a number of SDGs, but with only eight years left to deliver on the 2030 Agenda, more needs be done to build momentum toward achieving the SDGs.

Section two

Objective

• Reinforce Canada’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda, including as SDG Advocate co-Chair, and to accelerating an inclusive and resilient pandemic recovery.

Background

Canada is working to advance the SDGs through a whole-of-society approach, guided by a national 2030 Agenda strategy and a Feminist Foreign Policy. Canada has demonstrated leadership on the SDGs, including through the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond Initiative, with PM Holness of Jamaica and the UN Secretary General, and more recently as co-Chair of the UNSG’s SDG Advocates group with PM Mottley of Barbados.

Canadian Position

• Canada is committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda at home and abroad, and to accelerating progress through the Decade of Action.
• By taking an intersectional, gender-responsive, whole-of-society approach, Canada is implementing the SDGs in an inclusive and effective way that ensures no one is left behind.
• Moving Forward Together, Canada’s national strategy to implement the 2030 Agenda, encourages Canadians to take action to realize the SDGs.
• Canada’s international implementation of the 2030 Agenda is guided by its Feminist Foreign Policy, including a Feminist International Assistance Policy, an Inclusive Approach to Trade, and a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.

Other Countries’ Positions

• UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda in 2015 by consensus. Most have presented at least one Voluntary National Review to the UN, outlining their approach to the SDGs and progress to date as a part of the follow-up and review mechanism for the 2030 Agenda.
• Jamaica has been a strong partner on SDG financing, as co-Chair with Canada of the UN Group of Friends on SDG Financing, and through their co-leadership on the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond Initiative.
• As Canada’s SDG Advocates group co-chair partner, Barbados’ PM Mottley’s priorities align well with Canada’s and include climate action, education, and advancing gender equality. Additionally, PM Mottley is focused on reforming the international financial architecture and tackling anti-microbial resistance.

Section three

Background

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by UN Member States in September 2015. The 17 SDGs are interrelated and indivisible, and balance the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, while also integrating peace, governance, and justice elements. The 2030 Agenda calls on both developing and developed countries to implement the SDGs, with the aim of eradicating poverty and leaving no one behind.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on countries’ capacity to achieve the SDGs, particularly countries in vulnerable situations, and has eroded sustainable development progress. Member States recognized in September 2020 that the 2030 Agenda represents a “global blueprint for recovery from the pandemic and building back better”.

In response to the development finance challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, you, Prime Minister Holness of Jamaica and the UN Secretary General launched the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond Initiative (FfDI) in May of 2020. The FfDI brought the international community together to develop practical policy approaches to respond to the socio-economic and financial impacts of the pandemic and support renewed efforts toward achieving the SDGs.

In April 2022, the UN announced that you and Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados would become the new co-Chairs of the Secretary General’s SDG Advocates group. The SDG Advocates are 17 inspiring, influential people raising global awareness of the SDGs and the need for accelerated action. The co-Chair role provides significant opportunity to advocate for the SDGs, strengthen Canada’s relationship with the Caribbean Community, and support efforts to strengthen the multilateral system.

Canadian Implementation of the 2030 Agenda

Canada recognizes that an intersectional, gender-responsive, and whole-of-society approach to achieving the SDGs is the most effective way to accelerate progress and ensure no one is left behind.

Since releasing its first Voluntary National Review in 2018, Canada has achieved a number of milestones in its implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including:

• Launching an SDG Funding Program;
• Releasing Moving forward Together: Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy in 2021. The strategy builds upon 30 actions and 5 core principles to create and foster an enabling environment for ongoing dialogue on the SDGs, and encourages Canadians to take action to realize the SDGs for everyone;
• Releasing a Federal Implementation Plan in 2021, which articulates how the Government of Canada contributes to advancing the SDGs at the federal level; and
• Releasing Canada’s first-ever whole-of-society and whole-of-government annual report in July 2022, Taking Action Together: Canada’s 2021 Annual Report on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, which tracks Canada’s progress towards implementing the 2030 Agenda and advancing the 17 SDGs.

Canada has made good progress domestically in advancing a number of SDGs, including:

• Reducing poverty (SDG 1: No Poverty). The poverty rate in Canada has decreased steadily since 2015, and Canada has achieved its interim 2020 poverty reduction target of decreasing poverty by 20% relative to 2015 levels.
• Strengthening systems for quality education (SDG 4: Quality Education). Canada ranks among the top countries in terms of levels of education achieved by its adult population. Moreover, the Government of Canada has made transformative investments as part of Budget 2021 to work with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners to build a Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system, to ensure that all families have access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive Early Learning and Child Care, no matter where they live in Canada.
• Enhancing a commitment to reduce emissions by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030 (SDG 13: Climate Action). Canada released its 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan in March 2022. It outlines a sector-by-sector path for Canada to reach its 2030 target and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 were 9.3% (69 Mt) lower than they were in 2005, the baseline year against which Canada’s climate efforts are measured under the Paris Agreement.
• Increasing marine conservation (SDG 14: Life Below Water). Canada has exceeded its commitment to conserve 10% of its marine and coastal areas by 2020.

Other SDGs require continued domestic action, including health inequalities, with gaps in health outcomes being particularly significant for Indigenous peoples in Canada (SDG 3: Good Health and Well Being); gender inequality (SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities); and, drinking water advisories on reserves (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation).

Canada has remained steadfast in its commitment to advancing the SDGs internationally, and places gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at the heart of all of its efforts, recognizing that this is the most effective way to accelerate progress on all of the SDGs. For example, 95% of Canada’s bilateral international assistance supports advancing gender equality.

In February 2021, Canada launched the Together for Learning (TfL) campaign to promote quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for refugees, other forcibly- displaced and host community children and youth. At the 2021 G7 Summit, Canada renewed its contribution and announced $300 million over five years in funding to the GPE to support girls’ education and help strengthen education systems in developing countries, in order to achieve equitable and quality education for children worldwide.

To help address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, Canada is investing over $5 billion to deliver nature-based climate solutions in forests, grasslands, wetlands, and agricultural lands. These efforts will benefit biodiversity, build resilience in our ecosystems and nature-based economic sectors, create green jobs, and contribute to meeting Canada’s 2030 and 2050 climate goals.

Canada has established itself as a champion of carbon pricing, with international recognition as a carbon pricing leader and innovator. Many countries and organizations have pointed to Canada’s flexible but rigorous approach as a model for how different carbon pricing systems can work together. Canada’s approach to carbon pricing is designed to keep equity and fairness front and centre.

SDG Financing

Canada supports the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development as the primary financing framework for implementing the 2030 Agenda.

To help mobilize all sources of financing, Canada has increased its engagement on key financing for sustainable development issues, including collaborating with multilateral development banks and the private sector on economic and social infrastructure, piloting innovative financing mechanisms, addressing debt vulnerabilities, improving remittance flows and supporting tax cooperation.

Canada continues to work with partners at the UN and in other forums, including through the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond Initiative, to mitigate the socio-economic and financial impacts of the pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine, and its corresponding impacts on food security, energy prices, and global supply chains. We seek to support developing countries’ access to the financing they will need to build back better.

GAC international assistance workforce (“community”) strategy

• The Department has a committed international assistance community working in Canada and overseas to support Canada’s objectives.
• Canada’s work in international assistance is more complex than ever, which requires a skilled, diverse, and committed workforce that is fully supported to achieve the highest standard of excellence for the advancement of the Department’s mandate.

Supplementary messages

• Recognizing the vital role of its workforce and the complexities of the Department’s mandate, Global Affairs Canada is in the process of developing a clear strategy and work-plan for its international assistance workforce.
• This strategy looks to enhance the implementation of the core values of the public sector, and reflect the shared objectives across government departments and agencies to modernise for the future.

Update

The international assistance workforce strategy, which is currently in draft form, is built upon two years of internal consultation with employees. It will be shared with the Department following a final round of internal consultation and published internally thereafter. The implementation of this strategy, including associated work-plans, will be done in close collaboration and in conjunction with other key departmental initiatives, including the Future of Diplomacy and the Grants and Contributions Transformation.

Notional priorities outlined within the strategy focus on four key dimensions:

• The Department’s people, encompassing human resources, diversity and inclusion, supports for staff (“duty of care”), and data and analytics;
• Learning and development to underpin a highly skilled workforce;
• Departmental integration and coherence, ensuring clear linkages across all business lines; and
• Communication and recognition, including external communication with Canadians, as well as improved internal communications and recognition of success.

The strategy focuses on objectives and actions within the control and authority of the Department, and is aligned with the Government of Canada’s “Public Service Renewal: Beyond 2020”. It is intended to be implemented over five years. At the end of each fiscal year, a report summarizing the progress made against the action items contained in the strategy will be disseminated. Lessons learned will be identified and used to inform the next fiscal year’s plans over the five-year period.

The strategy will be supported by an internal engagement plan aimed at deepening the Department’s lines of communication and our ability to collaborate effectively within the international assistance workforce, as well as across streams.

Supporting facts and figures

• The international assistance workforce – defined as staff and management contributing to the international assistance/development mandate, including both Canadian and Locally Engaged Staff (LES) at headquarters and missions – is comprised of over 1,200 individuals working across 13 branches/special bureaus and 45 missions abroad.

Status of amalgamation of DFAIT and CIDA

• As a result of the amalgamation of the former Canadian International Development Agency and the former Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, there is increased coherence and efficiency across development, diplomacy and trade streams.
• Joint initiatives across development, diplomacy and trade streams have led to results that could otherwise not have been achieved without cross-stream collaboration. For example, advancing the connections between humanitarian, development, and peace actions, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, strengthens collaboration and positive results across all three streams.
• Taking a feminist approach across business lines has positively impacted policy alignment and increased coherence in international programming and initiatives.

Supplementary messages

• Diplomacy plays a pivotal role in enabling coherence across other streams and holds the highest level of flexibility. Advocacy and bilateral relationships are central to delivering international strategies across all streams, making diplomacy critical to advancing Canadian priorities.

Supporting facts and figures

• As a result of amalgamation there are improved bilateral and multilateral relationships, expanded and strengthened networks of influence, and an enhanced ability to understand and address complex issues that require a diversity of expertise.
• For example, we have seen increased efficiency and greater impact through cross-stream collaboration on the Canada-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, the Rohingya Response, the COVID response, the Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED), and the development of an Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Background

In 2013, Canadian International Development Agency and the former Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade amalgamated to become Global Affairs Canada. Since amalgamation, the department has seen increased levels of coherence across the diplomacy, trade and development streams, which has facilitated Canada’s ability to adapt to global, complex and multifaceted challenges.

In order to further increase efficiency and effectiveness of Canada’s international engagement, Global Affairs Canada is conducting a series of four geographical coherence evaluations to assess the extent to which each geographical branch cooperates across trade, development and diplomacy. To date, the department has completed the evaluations of the Africa (WGM), Americas (NGM), and Asia Pacific (OGM) branches, and has recently begun the evaluation of the Europe, Arctic, Middle East & Maghreb (EGM) branch. A meta-analysis of coherence across the entire department is planned for 2024. Five key factors have been identified by the evaluations as enabling or impeding coherence; these include: Branch Leadership; Capacity & Expertise; Organizational Structure; Policy and Priority Alignment; and Corporate Systems.

Foreign Service International Assistance (FSIA)

• The creation of an International Assistance Foreign Service officer stream was an essential part of the amalgamation of CIDA and DFAIT.
• In order to create the International Assistance Foreign Service workforce, the internal advertised Global Affairs Canada FS-IA Selection Processes were launched in 2018, as the last phase of the CIDA-DFAIT amalgamation implementation.
• A total of 280 appointments have been made under the FS-IA Processes.

Supporting facts and figures

• Total number of appointments made via the FS-IA process: 280
• Number of non-imperative (temporary) appointees who have yet to obtain their language levels (CCC/CCC): 39
• Number of FS-IA positions abroad: 136
• Number of FS-IA positions at HQ: 151

Background

• The creation of an International Assistance Foreign Service officer stream was an essential part of the amalgamation of CIDA and DFAIT. The Department had assessed that by securing a rotational workforce dedicated to delivering on international assistance priorities, the Department will be better equipped to meet the operational requirements of Canadian missions abroad.
• The International Assistance workforce is comprised of employees occupying multiple classifications, including non-rotational and rotational employees. Of note, until August 2021, the workforce also included mobile employees.
• Following a broad departmental consultation, including an employee survey to gauge interest in possibly becoming rotational, the Department launched the FS-IA selection processes in 2018.
• The FS-IA non-imperative selection processes resulted in the appointment of 280 FS-IA Foreign Service officers.
• Successful employees were appointed as FS-IA Foreign Service officers, and those who did not meet the CCC/CCC language profile requirements of the FS classification were appointed non-imperatively and were provided with official language training.

Grants and contributions transformation

• Global Affairs Canada plans to completely transform the way we manage grants and contributions, from end to end.
• Our five-year work plan includes looking across our processes, our technology, our people and our culture.
• We will re-think our approach to grants and contributions management in terms of how we operate internally, our data framework, our approach to risk, our approach to financial management and results, and how we work with partners.

Supplementary messages

• Partners have told Global Affairs Canada that it is too time-consuming, complex and costly for them to get funding; the transformation plan is our response to this problem.
• Transformation will be organized into three phases. The first phase will focus on “Foundations” – this phase will focus on improving processes and approaches we already have in place, and beginning the design of our modernized digital systems.
• The second phase will focus on “Automation”. It will look for ways to free staff and partners from time-consuming, manual, and administrative tasks to focus on what matters.
• In the final phase, we will focus on “Customization”. This is when we will introduce new ways of working for both the Department and partners. It is about doing things that we do not yet have the tools to be able to do.

Background

This initiative is in direct response to one of the Minister’s mandate letter commitments: “Improve the way we manage and deliver international development assistance to ensure greater responsiveness, effectiveness, transparency and accountability”. This commitment is also echoed in the Feminist International Assistance Policy.

Global Affairs Canada has been working to better streamline the delivery of its international assistance programming delivery for many years. In 2017, the Department created a dedicated Bureau to International Assistance operations. This Bureau, along with our Chief Financial Officer Branch, has been working to respond to the needs of staff and partners for years, and has addressed many concerns that have resulted in incremental changes. To date, there have been many successes; for example, the design of an expedited programming process for COVID-19 projects.

Over the last two years, these two groups have been working on a number of large modernization initiatives to address some of our long-standing, hardest to address challenges. In January 2022, all of this work was brought together under the umbrella of a “Grants and Contributions Transformation”. Not only was this work combined and integrated, but it was expanded to look at every component of the Department’s work on international assistance programming.

Since January 2022, the Transformation initiative has been updating and revisiting the scope of its work plan to ensure that projects under transformation are truly transformational, and do not simply look at incremental change. The initiative has also been putting appropriate governance oversight in place and establishing different mechanisms for engaging staff and partners. For example, a new partner working group is being established that will offer opportunities for partners to co-design and prototype parts of Transformation along with the Department.

Our five-year work plan includes four pillars:

1. Processes – the Department has a process for all projects, called the Approved Programming Process or the APP. Transformation will not only look at improvements to the process, but will expand our process beyond the project-level, and start developing and documenting the processes we use across partners and across countries, regions and thematic areas (i.e. portfolios).
2. Technology – the Department’s current project management system is antiquated and not fit for purpose, and the software will be retired in the coming years. Transformation will lead to the design of a modern project management system that includes additional functionality from the current system, allowing staff and partners to collaborate in new ways. Our new system will be based in Microsoft Dynamics, adapting a Treasury Board- approved platform called “EGCS”.
3. People – our level of expertise, and our ability to train and mentor our staff on all of these changes, must be looked at. To be fit for purpose, we have to support our staff to acquire the skills they need and to understand their roles.
4. Culture – in order for all of these changes to be implemented in multiple international assistance branches, at HQ and at mission, a strong change management approach will need to be in place. We will need to have separate plans that focus on the people and how to change their behaviour.

Global food security

• The food crisis is expected to worsen next year. The poorest and most vulnerable will be worst off.
• The Black Sea Grain Initiative has been a success. If it is not renewed, it will be a major step backwards in addressing the global impacts of the Russian invasion.
• Canada has responded with record levels of humanitarian food and nutrition assistance, and provides development assistance to address root causes of hunger.

Supplementary messages

• Open trade plays an important role in food security and stability by linking food surplus regions with those in deficit.
• The Black Sea Grain Initiative is relieving pressure on food prices by ensuring foodstuff can reach global markets.
• Responsive on Russian concerns: Canada supports the full implementation of the agreement and sanctions against Russia do not target food or fertilizer.

Update

The FAO’s Food Price Index (FFPI) continues to fall but remains 5.5% above its value in the corresponding month last year. Parties to the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) are now negotiating for its renewal. The current food price crisis will get worse in the coming year as agricultural productivity declines, driven largely by reduced fertilizer accessibility, alongside conflict and extreme weather events. The majority of countries facing food security and nutrition risks are in Africa.

Supporting facts and figures

• The FFPI fell by 8.6% in July;1.9% in August and 1.1% in September.
• As of October 25, foodstuff exported from three Ukrainian ports reached over 8.7 million tonnes to global markets, including through humanitarian shipments.
• 50 million people are at the brink of famine – nearly 1 million facing catastrophic conditions in: Ethiopia, Haiti, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen.
• As of Oct 21, 2022, 18 countries have food export restrictions in place, while four countries, including Russia, have restrictions on fertilizer exports. Canada’s removal of Russia’s most favoured nation status is not a sanction measure.

Background

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a major shock to an already strained food system resulting in record-setting global food, fuel, and fertilizer prices. High prices disproportionately affect the poor, who spend most of their income on food and other basic needs. The UN-brokered BSGI has helped to stabilize spiraling prices by facilitating shipments of grain, fertilizer and foodstuff. It is automatically renewed on November 19 if no Parties object. However, Russia has indicated it may not agree.

Uncertainty surrounding global food supply has resulted in some countries considering or enacting protectionist trade policies. The escalating cycle of restricting exports has a multiplier effect on prices, worsening global food supply and prices.

To date in 2022, Canada has allocated a record amount of more than $615 million for humanitarian food and nutrition assistance. Canada also provides development assistance that provides longer-term investments that enhance the resilience of their agri-food systems to shocks.

Canada’s sanctions against Russia do not target food and fertilizers. However,

Russia’s disinformation campaign continues to influence perceptions that Canada and its allies are perpetuating the food crisis due to sanctions. Russia is using its leverage as a major exporter of food and fertilizer as a tool of coercive diplomacy by restricting its own agricultural exports to those countries that demonstrate support of its invasion.

Section one

Issue note – financing for development

Key messages

• Recognize key role of development finance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• More can and should be done to leverage all relevant financing flows, including innovative financing instruments, private sector investments, and Multilateral Development Banks’ (MDB) balance sheets.

Section two

Objective

• Drawing on examples of Canadian leadership to advance the financing for development agenda, underscore the need to leverage all financial flows and instruments in support of sustainable development.

Background

As a result of pandemic-related increases in spending, coupled with a drop in external private financing, the SDG financing gap is expected to increase to US$3.7 trillion annually. Moreover, developing country needs are increasing, with 60% of low-income countries and 40% of all developing economies either in, or at risk of, debt distress. While official development assistance (ODA) remains a crucial component, the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda cannot be met in the absence of enhanced global partnerships, including with the private sector, to mobilize additional financial flows.

Canada has played a leadership role in global financing for development discussions, including as co-chair of the UN Group of Friends of SDG Financing since 2016, and as co-convenor of the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond initiative (FFDI) with the UNSG and the Prime Minister of Jamaica, launched in May 2020.

Canadian Position

• Canada believes that the international community, including all UN member states, must act in concert to mobilize a full range of financial instruments towards sustainable development.
• A priority for Canada is to ensure that the voices of developing countries, not typically included in economic discussions (for example, at the G20, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank), are heard.
• Canada will continue to take action to promote innovative and gender-responsive financing, crowd in new investors, accelerate action and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at home and abroad.
• Canada is open to exploring complementary criteria, including vulnerability indices, in conjunction with GNI per capita, to determine eligibility for access to development finance.
• Canada welcomes the G20 Independent Review of MDB Capital Adequacy Frameworks and seeks to ensure its implementation.

Other Countries’ Positions

• The UK has been active on this topic, including setting up a Task Force on Financing for Development to mobilize private capital for infrastructure investment in developing countries under the auspices of its G7 Presidency in 2021. This included a new target to mobilize US$15 billion by 2022 for the 2X Challenge on Financing for Women, building on Canada’s G7 legacy. However, the UK has also been heavily criticised recently for its significant cuts in ODA spending since November 2020.
• While not a homogenous group, developing countries, including many Small Island Developing States, have expressed frustration over the perceived inadequate response by the international community to the evolving crises, and have emphasized the need for more access to concessional financing. Moreover, several middle-income countries have argued that they should also benefit from ongoing efforts to provide a greater nuance and understanding of country vulnerabilities.
• The UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Spain support the development of multidimensional vulnerability indices and the broadening of ODA eligibility criteria beyond income to consider vulnerability. The US, France, Denmark, Finland, and Germany are not in favour of using vulnerability indices to help determine ODA eligibility.

Section three

Background

Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond Initiative

In May 2020, the Prime Ministers of Canada, Jamaica and the UN Secretary General launched the FFDI to identify and promote concrete financing solutions to the COVID-19 crisis, and to give voice to countries on the front-lines of the pandemic. As a result, a series of recommendations were put forward, forming a wide-ranging menu of options on three tracks: focusing on emergency mobilization responses, delivering a swift and inclusive recovery, and enabling a sustainable and resilient future.

On March 29, 2021, the Prime Ministers of Canada and Jamaica and the UN Secretary- General co-convened a third virtual meeting of Heads of State and Government to build on the policy options identified the previous year, and underscore the urgent need to provide liquidity, address debt vulnerabilities, and provide targeted debt relief. The meeting focused on the International Debt Architecture and Liquidity, including pressing issues such as enhancing global liquidity and allocating SDRs, extending the G20 debt service standstill, providing debt relief where needed and identifying the building blocks required to strengthen the international debt architecture.

With the war in Ukraine exacerbating food and energy crises, and with debt sustainability still a major risk for many countries, the FfD agenda continues to gain traction and to set demands for concrete action.

Calls to reform the international financial architecture

There have been increasing calls to reform the global financial architecture to make it fit-for-purpose in an interconnected world that is indelibly shaped by climate change and subject to compounding economic shocks. With a view to exploring possible solutions to address the weaknesses, inadequacies and gaps in the current international financial system, Prime Minister Mottley and the UN convened a high-level retreat in Bridgetown in July 2022, which PRMNY/HoM attended. In September, the Bridgetown Agenda for the Reform of the Global Financial Architecture was released, with proposed actions focused on providing emergency liquidity to ease the debt crisis, expanding lending by MDBs, and activating private sector savings for climate mitigation and post-climate disaster reconstruction.

Recognizing the linkages to Prime Minister Trudeau’s role as SDG Advocates co-chair, officials are currently reviewing the actions proposed in the Bridgetown Agenda to see how Canada can help energize the international community and shareholders of international financial institutions to take on such an ambitious reform project.

Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)

The SDR is an international reserve asset created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to supplement member countries’ official reserves. IMF members can exchange their SDRs with other members for foreign currency reserves, which can then be used to help pay for healthcare, support vulnerable people, and purchase vaccines, while reducing reliance on more expensive domestic or external debt. It is important to note, however, that an SDR allocation is not a windfall, as members receive offsetting SDR assets and liabilities. Moreover, using SDRs is not costless, as there are interest charges when a country’s SDR holdings fall below its SDR quota allocation.

In August 2021, the IMF’s Board of Governors approved a general allocation of SDRs equivalent to US$650 billion to boost global liquidity. SDRs are allocated according to each country’s IMF quota share. Canada’s share is 2.3 per cent and as a result, Canada’s SDR allocation was roughly US$15 billion ($18 billion). Of the US$650 billion SDR allocation, about US$275 billion went to emerging markets and developing countries, including low-income countries. G7 and G20 members agreed to channel an additional US$100 billion of SDRs, or approximately 20 per cent of their own allocations, to the benefit of low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries. G7 and G20 members have worked with the IMF to develop a menu of voluntary options for channeling SDRs, which includes: (i) scaling up the IMF’s Poverty Reduction Growth Trust (PRGT), which provides concessional financing to low-income countries; (ii) establishing the new donor-funded IMF Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST), which offers a longer grace period and lower interest rate to vulnerable countries, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other middle-income countries; and (iii) exploring other viable options for channeling, including potentially through MDBs. However, channeling SDRs outside of the IMF’s own trusts is very challenging.

At the G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2021, the Prime Minister committed to channel 20 per cent of Canada’s new $18 billion SDR allocation. As a first step in implementing that commitment, Canada announced a $107 million grant and SDR 500 million (approximately $877 million) in new loans to the IMF’s PRGT. At the IMF/World Bank Spring meetings in April 2022, Canada announced a new $2.44 billion contribution to the RST. In order to help Ukraine meet its urgent balance of payments needs following Russia’s invasion, Canada has also disbursed two loans to Ukraine through the IMF Administered Account for Ukraine (which Canada championed), worth a total of $1.45 billion ($1 billion disbursed on June 9 and $450 million disbursed on August 17). With the PRGT, RST, and Administered Account added together, Canada has now exceeded its 20 per cent SDR rechannelling commitment. However, Canada remains open to work closely with international partners to explore other viable SDR channeling options to help countries in need.

Vulnerability Indices

The United Nations, the Commonwealth and other institutions have been developing multidimensional vulnerability indices (MVIs) and metrics that would provide a greater nuance and understanding of country vulnerabilities and resilience.

Currently, much of the focus is on the development of the UN MVI with the support of a high-level panel of experts. The UN MVI is being developed to provide a comparable measure of structural vulnerability and resilience in developing countries, with a focus on the special case of SIDS. The panel released its interim draft report in August 2022. While the panel’s interim report is an important step in this process, the level of

technical detail (indicators, weighting, preliminary rankings etc.) included in the report has been insufficient for Canada and others to meaningfully evaluate its acceptability and applicability. Due to the highly technical nature of the work, the panel anticipates that an additional 6 months will be required to finalize the index (extending its deadline from December 2022 to June 2023).

SIDS have high expectations for the application of the MVI, particularly with respect to its potential use at the OECD-DAC or by IFIs. That said, these expectations need to be managed given there is no consensus on this issue at the DAC, nor any indication at this time that IFIs would be willing to revisit their criteria for financing.

World Bank – International Development Association

The World Bank is one of Canada’s most important international development partners and delivers a significant share of Canada’s international development assistance. The International Development Association (IDA) is the arm of the World Bank, dedicated to supporting the poorest and most vulnerable countries with grants and highly concessional financing. Canada is IDA’s seventh largest donor, providing $1.46 billion over the next three years (2022-2025) under IDA20.

Debt Relief

Canada provided close to US$100 million in temporary debt service relief for the poorest countries through the Debt Service Suspension Initiative, which expired at the end of 2021. Canada also supports the Common Framework, which seeks to provide debt treatments to restore debt sustainability, and represents the first time emerging market creditors such as China, India, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia have committed to participate in coordinated multilateral debt treatments.

China’s full participation is essential to the success of the Common Framework, as it is by far the world’s largest official bilateral creditor. Key objectives for Canada on the Common Framework include ensuring full participation from China and private creditors on comparable terms, continuing to improve debt transparency from borrowers and creditors, and ensuring the debt relief provided is sufficient to support sustainable and inclusive economic recovery. Recognizing that many middle-income countries (including small-island developing states) face growing debt vulnerabilities, Canada has also advocated expanding Common Framework eligibility beyond low-income countries to include all countries facing debt vulnerabilities.

The G20 Independent Review of MDB Capital Adequacy Frameworks

Canada is supportive of the G20 Independent Review of MDB Capital Adequacy Frameworks. This review provides five sets of concrete recommendations to reform how MDBs currently use their existing capital to potentially unlock considerable additional lending. Canada is working with like-minded shareholders to have MDBs implement these recommendations, which could be highlighted as a priority within the Financing for Development narrative, given the opportunity to significantly increase concessional financing to borrowing countries.

Trade and development

• Trade and development are mutually reinforcing. Their integration fosters inclusive growth and promotes developing countries’ participation in global trade.
• Integrating trade and development is a win-win for Canada and emerging economies: it enhances gender equality, broadens access to emerging markets, and bolsters support for multilateral trade and the rule of law.
• Amid global turmoil, combining trade and development is vital to strengthen the economic resilience of developing countries and protect the world’s most vulnerable.

Supplementary messages

• Recent crises, which took place within the larger context of climate change and significant geopolitical shifts, have disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable, turning back progress on poverty reduction.
• Greater integration of emerging economies in the global trading system is an essential part of the solution. To help them achieve this, we must boost the effectiveness of Canada’s assistance through coherence between our trade and development efforts.
• This is a win-win, as it leads to greater access to growing markets for Canadian exporters, thereby enhancing Canada’s prosperity.

Supporting facts and figures

• Canada’s Aid for Trade contributions have in recent years averaged above $600 million and surpassed $1 billion in 2020/21.
• Our contributions have included projects supporting COVID-19 recovery, energy and climate change, agriculture, resource sector management, financial services, and industry.

Background

Trade supports international assistance by creating good jobs, fostering the development of quality infrastructure, supporting women’s empowerment, increasing economic resilience, and reducing poverty. Greater engagement by developing countries in the global economy in turn provides more opportunities to Canadian exporters, leading to greater trade diversification, which contributes to Canada’s prosperity.

Development interventions can help to ensure that the benefits of global trade are shared more widely by strengthening trade capacity and fostering enabling environments. Technical assistance, knowledge sharing, transparency, good governance, rule of law, and sound regulatory regimes help to foster economic growth and lift disadvantaged populations out of poverty.

Canada needs an integrated trade and development approach to address key challenges: an increasingly complex global economy, economic coercion, and competing development models. Global supply chains reflect increasing interdependence between developed and developing countries. Sustainable and inclusive growth for Canada is therefore correlated with sustainable and inclusive growth for all trading partners.

Ministerial appearances at the Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs & International Trade (AEFA)

Study on the Canadian foreign service and elements of the foreign policy machinery within Global Affairs Canada

Anticipated Questions & Suggested Responses

1. Future of Diplomacy (POX)

• 1.1 Which areas of the department do you think will be most impacted by the Future of Diplomacy exercise? What kind of an impact will the modernization have on our foreign policy, trade and international assistance?
  • This initiative is focussed on 4 core pillars essential to Global Affairs Canada’s capacity to engage internationally:
    • Our people - Ensuring we are able to recruit, retain and develop a diverse workforce with the skill sets and expertise required to deliver on our international assistance mandate in a world that is increasingly complex.
    • Our policy capacity - Ensuring we have the capacity to anticipate and address emerging global issues across the international assistance, trade and foreign policy streams.
    • Our technological and digital capacity - Ensuring we have the digital tools, infrastructure and sustainable funding we need to protect our interests and values in an increasingly virtual world
    • Our global presence - Ensuring we have the capacity to assess and adjust our global presence to meet emerging challenges and opportunities in alignment with our strategic interests and international assistance agenda.
  • Cutting across the 4 pillars of this initiative, we also noted several comments expressing a desire to review corporate culture and processes to reduce administrative burden, hierarchy and risk aversion.
  • This is a department wide initiative that will involve every portfolio, this is why I am working closely with my fellow GAC Ministers.
  • The nature of our work in an amalgamated department means that there tends to be a great deal of overlap and cross-cutting impacts, therefore we will seek to ensure strong communication and build coherence across all portfolios.

• 1.2 What are some of the early findings of the exercise in terms of the biggest challenges or issues currently facing GAC?
  • The environment in which Global Affairs Canada operates is increasingly complex, volatile and challenging: there are new actors and technologies, a rules-based international system at an inflection point and global issues intrinsically linked to domestic issues.
  • We are increasingly being asked to respond to situations and events that are without precedent using tools, structures and processes designed for a different time.
  • As an organization, we are constantly looking at how best we can improve what and how we do things so that we can continue to effectively deliver on our core mandates and foreign policy priorities, while remaining adaptive and flexible to address emergent challenges.
  • That being said, the four pillars of this exercise, our people, our policy capacity, our technological and digital capacity and our global presence, are areas that need special consideration at this important time of social, economic and geopolitical complexity and change.
  • We also found that there is a need to review our corporate culture and processes to reduce over-bureaucratization, hierarchy and address employee well-being.
  • There are always areas to find improvement and we look forward to identifying how we can best adapt to face the unique set of challenges we face.

• 1.3 What kind of recommendations do you anticipate resulting from this exercise?
  • It is too soon to be overly prescriptive about what action areas may emerge from the review process, but our consultations have revealed that our department will need to look at actions that will:
    • increase geographic and thematic expertise in the department
    • target staffing processes to ensure transparency, representativeness and operational efficiencies through the department’s recruitment and promotional efforts
    • improve coherence between streams (Trade, Foreign Affairs and Development)
    • improve our foresight capacity and increase the focus on emerging global issues
    • update our digital tools and infrastructure on an ongoing basis
    • strengthen data competencies and data leadership
    • increase Canada’s influence and role in the world through soft power, increased presence and diverse and trustworthy partnerships
    • regularly review our global presence to ensure alignment with strategic and emerging priorities
  • There will be short-term recommendations and longer-term recommendations, for example, we will want to propose enduring systems and mechanisms to ensure the organization remains fit-for-purpose in the long term, such as a mechanism to regularly review our global footprint in light of our strategic priorities.
  • This will be an incremental process.

• 1.4 Will you be seeking incremental funds from the fiscal framework in order to implement the outcomes of this exercise?
  • Many of the recommendations will be implementable at the department level and will be able to be operationalized through internal reallocation and require no additional resources.
  • However, there will be larger and more transformational pieces that may require additional funds from the fiscal framework.
  • Work is already underway to assess what may be needed and assure that we are doing the most we can with what we have before requesting more funds – but transforming Global Affairs Canada is a significant undertaking that is very likely to have resource implications.
  • Now is the time to act so that we can equip ourselves to meet the challenges we know are on the horizon.

• 1.5 Given that similar initiatives have taken place in the past – what makes this process different? How will you ensure that there are meaningful results? What will be the implementation strategy for recommendations?
  • We are facing a unique historical moment, with unique challenges and opportunities calling for transformation.
  • The future of our department is something that all employees should feel ownership over and work collectively to build. That is why we need to work across streams to ensure strong communication and build coherence across the trade, international assistance, and foreign policy communities.
  • This is also not the first time our department has undergone an evolution. Just over ten years ago we saw the amalgamation of the department which brought major structural and process changes as we sought to build an integrated, high performing new Global Affairs Canada.
  • We have routinely adapted and risen to the challenges of the moment and once again, united in our commitment to this effort, we will deliver meaningful results.

2. People Pillar (HCM)

• 2.1 How is Global Affairs demonstrating its commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workforce, including linguistic and geographic diversity?
  • It is important for me that Global Affairs Canada has a diverse workforce that represents Canada at home and abroad;
  • It is a government priority to commit to an inclusive workplace where all employees feel welcome and comfortable.
  • I know the Department is genuinely committed to reach compliance with the Employment Equity legislation and has developed the relevant governance structure to support these initiatives namely the Anti-Racism Advisory Committee and a Diversity & Inclusion Council.
    • It reached and often exceeded targets for underrepresented populations (ex. Indigenous people (6.3% CBS), visible minorities (26.2% CBS) and Black Canadians (4.8% CBS)
    • Francophones are well represented at GAC, with about 40% of employees who have French as their first Official Language.

• 2.2 Are we doing enough to recognize and support our Locally Engaged Staff?
  • Locally Engaged Staff are essential to the Department, they are an integral part of our international engagement and without them, we would not be able to deliver on our mandates.
  • They help bring continuity, as well as local knowledge, language and networks that CBS don’t have.
  • Jobs in Canadian missions are highly sought after, because we’re seen as a good employer; our missions continue to attract and retain talented candidates for their LES positions.
  • The department launched, in 2021, a new directive on LES employment and staffing in addition to the launch of the LES Benefits Modernization initiative to improve management and benefits for LES.

• 2.3 What is our duty of care when it comes to LES? What are the distinctive implications and accountabilities in dealing with the LES vs the CBS workforce when crises take place?
  • The Government of Canada has an obligation to take reasonable steps to protect the health and safety of the LES. The duty of care owning to LES is generally limited to the workplace, and does not extend to general risks and hardship borne by the local population.
  • In practice, there are extensive protocols and mechanisms in place to support LES in crisis situations, be it in a civil war context, as a result of natural disasters or civil disturbances.
  • For instance, during crises, LES are provided with:
    • Timely information on evolving political and security situations and input to operational decisions, such as mission closures that factor such risks as employee commutes);
    • Safe work arrangements such as remote work while in country and where the operational requirements, security of information and IT environment permits;
    • Safeguard of income and/or job security as well as emergency compensation measures during crisis situation – including a reduction or suspension of operations (Ukraine, COVID19 pandemic).
  • LES are subject to the labour jurisdiction of host governments. In addition to labour law, LES are wholly subject to the criminal, civil and administrative jurisdictions of the receiving state in which they work because, unlike CBS, they do not have any diplomatic privileges and immunities.
  • As such, LES evacuation in a crisis situation would require a whole-of-government approach to consider the open-ended operational, legal and financial considerations, such as:
    • Criteria for evacuation, and admissibility to Canada, which fall under the IRCC authority
    • International and foreign domestic law considerations which relate to status for third country evacuation
    • Funding for the evacuation planning for 6,000 LES + dependents across network
    • Impact on ability to evacuate CBS and deliver mission services to Canadians
    • Impact on resumption of operations.

• 2.4 A Recent issue have come to light regarding staff abuse by an individual manager at Global Affairs Canada as well as retention and promotion of the problematic Executive, what can be done to prevent this in the future and ensure the respectful treatment of all employees?
  • This report serves as a meaningful indication that the department still have a way to go in our collective journey to ensure an open and inclusive workplace where employees feel comfortable to contribute and speak up.
  • The department has created a departmental well-being ombud’s office with funding of $1.1 million in ongoing funding and $3.5 million additional funding to support a 3-year pilot project to expand upon existing counseling and informal conflict management services, as of 2023.
  • The Acting Assistant Deputy Minister for Human resources, Vera Alexander, could provide more details on this question.

• 2.5 In your opinion, should GAC seek to become its own autonomous employer? What would be the added benefits of this and what would be the challenges?
  • Deputy Ministers and senior officials should explore all possible options to improve the way human resources are managed and ensure the department is well equipped to manage the complexities and exceptionalism of a workforce that serves across a wide network of missions abroad and at HQ.
  • The Acting Assistant Deputy Minister for Human resources, Vera Alexander, could provide more details on the consideration related to GAC as an employer.

3. Policy Pillar

• 3.1 What is the status of amalgamation? Is this a success? What have been the achievements and what are the areas that are still outstanding?
  • Following the decision to amalgamate the Department of Foreign Affairs and the International Trade (DFAIT) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 2013, the two departments were integrated into a single organizational structure.
  • There are over 1000 GAC employees (CBS and LES) delivering on the international assistance mandates. We are actively working to ensure that our employees have the right skill sets, expertise and training they need to deliver Canada’s international assistance. We are also working to ensure that employees have robust and clear career paths within the department.
  • Very few countries in the world have the chance to benefit from an integrated department to address the increasingly complex issues that we face in the world. Thanks to the amalgamation, we have a broader view and assessment of the issues at play and multifaceted programs through the nexus of foreign policy, trade and development.
  • Since amalgamation, coherence across the different portfolios has been an issue of ongoing importance, and a constant work in progress to look into innovative solutions that will help adjust our culture to be more collaborative, for example work underway at the intersection of trade and development including the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, the Expert Deployment Mechanism, and the Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development (CTIF).
  • Trade and development are mutually reinforcing. Amid global instability, the trade and development nexus is essential to strengthen the economic resilience of developing countries and improve the conditions of the world’s most vulnerable. It also serves to broaden access to emerging markets, deepen bilateral trade relationships and further Canada’s reputation as a reliable partner in trade, diplomacy and international assistance.
  • Coordinating with my fellow GAC Ministers is an essential part of working on global issues that transcend portfolios and impact all streams of our work and we continue to make strides in leveraging these connections.

• 3.2 How does a gender lens help improve coherence across portfolios?
  • The Government of Canada strategic focus on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within our workforce, as well as dedicated attention to promoting GBA+ principles, places Canada at the vanguard among MFAs worldwide.
  • Canada is recognized globally for its leadership in advancing a feminist approach to international assistance, which is focused on Canadian values of peace, prosperity, equality and inclusivity.

• 3.3 How do you coordinate international responses with other government ministers and foreign partners?
  • In addition to working closely with my fellow Cabinet ministers, I have regular engagement with like-minded allies to advance Canada’s feminist development policy and priorities in support of the SDGs and Canadians.
  • I have been working with like-minded development ministers, including G7 counterparts, to denounce Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the Global South where the war’s impact on food and energy security are being felt most acutely.
  • I have engaged in multilateral and bilateral meetings with EU Commissioners (Urpilainen and Lenarčič) since the start of the war in Ukraine, including through meetings in Brussels in March of this year, with following trips to Poland, Romania and Moldova.
    • I recently published a Joint Op-Ed with the EU’s Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, underscoring commitment to partners in the Global South and impact of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine which is making life harder and harder for those living in the Global South, particularly women and girls and marginalized groups living in situations of vulnerability.
  • At this year’s meetings of G7 and G20 Development Ministers, Canada worked with others to draw attention to the need for urgent collective global action to get the SDGs back on-track in light of the set-backs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine that has driven so many into food and energy insecurity.
  • Through actions and engagement on the international stage, Canada has made it clear that we are there to support our partners in the Global South address the global food crisis while continuing to work with them to build their food security and autonomy in the long-term.
  • For example, in May I traveled to Kenya and Rwanda, where I met with Cabinet Ministers and the President of Rwanda, ensuring we create a strong partnership so we are better able to coordinate and respond accordingly to country needs.
  • We are in regular communication with US and other key counterparts to ensure we keep the eyes of the world on the needs of the world’s most vulnerable.
  • And finally, this October, I participated in Cooperation Canada’s Futures Festival and the GAC Day of Dialogue. This was a great opportunity to convene with the Canadian international development sector in person for the first time since the pandemic, communicate directly on relevant topics of interest and envision ways forward.

• 3.4 How will the Future of Diplomacy impact existing policy frameworks and strategies (including FIAP, Feminist Foreign Policy and Indo-Pacific strategy)?
  • The Future of Diplomacy will strengthen Canada’s capacity to more effectively advance and protect its strategic interests and values around the world, including through improving our ability to deliver on current and future priorities such as our Feminist Foreign Policy, Feminist International Assistance Policy and our forthcoming Indo-Pacific Strategy.
    • FIAP:
      • The FIAP remains the overarching policy for Canada’s international assistance.
      • Implementing the FIAP has transformed Canada into a feminist donor, with Canada ranking as the top donor for gender equality for the past 3 years.
      • The Future of Diplomacy Initiative will help improve policy coherence across streams; it will strengthen our capacity to deliver on this priority and to adapt our feminist approach to better engage internationally and address global challenges.
      • The Future of Diplomacy Initiative also seeks to strengthen the recruitment and development of a skilled workforce that reflects Canada’s diversity. This will directly advance Canada’s feminist foreign policy objective of applying feminist principles to its own organization, including to its foreign service, to foster an organizational culture that embraces equity, inclusion, and addresses systemic racism.
      • Upgrading our digital tools and infrastructure, through the Future of Diplomacy, will strengthen Canada’s evidence-based approach to decision making and engagement. In the context of our feminist foreign policy, this will deepen our understanding and capacity to address the root causes of discrimination and barriers to gender equality and inclusion.
    • Indo-Pacific Strategy:
      • The 2021 Speech from the Throne confirmed that developing a new Indo- Pacific strategy would be a foreign policy priority for the government.
      • As part of this effort, GAC has identified a range of capacities (diplomatic/security, trade/economic, development and climate change/environment) that would be required to fulfill Canada’s strategic objectives in the ascendant Indo-Pacific region.
  4. Digital and Technology Pillar
  • 4.1 How can we use digital diplomacy and new technology to better deliver international assistance? Can digital diplomacy ever replace person-to-person interactions?
    • I can’t stress enough the importance of face-to-face interactions for consensus building, cultivating innovation and creativity, fostering trust and networks, finding pathways for informal knowledge sharing, specifically around sensitive topics, for monitoring projects and providing services to Canadians abroad.
    • With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s missions abroad and regional offices acted swiftly to adapt their activities in a way that prioritized the health, safety and well-being of our workforce while ensuring excellence in delivering services to Canadians.
    • A number of good practices were put in place during the pandemic when in-person engagement was not possible, such as virtual ministerial visits and virtual capital-to- capital engagement or bilateral consultations.
    • Many of Canada’s diplomatic missions abroad resumed in-person operations in 2021 with the realization that although the virtual world can offer opportunities and benefits for modern diplomatic practice, it is unable to fully replace in-person interactions. And this is furthermore true in regions where remote work and virtual options are not an option for local stakeholders.
    • Although the pandemic made some aspects of diplomacy more accessible, it also highlighted gaps in digital access, technology and systems as not all stakeholders are equally equipped to participate in virtual settings.
  5. Global Presence Pillar
  • 5.1 Should we have a greater presence abroad? If so where and why?
    • Canada is in a better position to defend and support its strategic interests when it is present on the ground. Our international mission footprint is made up of 178 missions abroad and is aligned to respond to strategic priorities, and deliver on ministerial commitments.
    • We need to have a more targeted presence abroad, including more boots on the ground in the right places working with local partners and civil society to meet development objectives.
  • 5.2 How is Canada working to strengthen a multilateral system under threat?
    • Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a direct threat to the bedrock principles of the UN Charter, which forms the very basis of the rules-based system: the territorial integrity and sovereign equality of all nations, the peaceful resolution of international disputes, and the protection of fundamental human rights.
    • At this time, Canada has been working with not just NATO members, and not just democracies, but the widest possible coalition of states to raise voices and take action in support of these principles. The resounding and near universal condemnation of the Russian invasion at the UN General Assembly is testament to this.
    • Canada has long demonstrated leadership in support of a revitalized rules-based system by creating the Ottawa Group for WTO Reform, chairing the Freedom Online Coalition, co-chairing the Media Freedom Coalition, leading a global initiative against arbitrary detention and championing the Ocean Plastics Charter.
    • We work closely with diverse partners at the key tables where we have a voice: at the UN, via the General Assembly, Human Rights Council, and other bodies, as well as at NATO, the OSCE, the G7, the G20, La Francophonie, the Commonwealth, APEC, and others.
    • Canada also works consistently with partners from around the world so that the UN is effective, efficient, relevant and accountable.
    • And in these moments of crisis, we step up with our partners to directly tackle the most challenging situations – notably through our close coordination with our NATO allies and international partners in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
  • 5.3 How can you explain why our diplomatic representation in Africa is so small? Why isn’t bigger? Are there plans to expand our mission network in Africa?
    • When allocating resources abroad, the Government of Canada considers Canada’s political, security, economic and commercial interests and priorities, making strategic choices about the locations of our missions.
    • In Sub-Saharan Africa, Canada’s diplomatic representation includes 16 embassies or high commissions as well as five diplomatic offices.
    • As part of a PM commitment to deepen engagement with the continent, we announced that we will representation in Kigali and with the African Union as marks of Canada’s steadfast commitment to its engagement in Africa.
    • In Rwanda, the Canadian office will be upgraded to a high commission, increasing Canada’s capacity to promote its diverse partnerships with Rwanda and the broad range of our shared interests and cooperation.
    • In addition, Canada is establishing a dedicated mission and permanent observer to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that will enable Canada to bring a renewed focus to its relationship with the African Union and strengthen ongoing efforts on shared priorities. A Permanent Observer/Head of Mission is expected to be in place in the coming months.
  6. Global Issues
  • 6.1 How is GAC continuing to provide support for Ukraine?
    • Canada remains in close contact with Ukraine to discuss their most pressing needs and how Canada and its partners can best address them. As well, Canada continues to engage in extensive advocacy with the international community to enhance global support for Ukraine and to combat Russia’s disinformation efforts.
    • Canada continues to work with Ukraine and others to hold Russia accountable for its invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory and the atrocities being committed. Through diplomatic action as well as concrete support, Canada is committed to ensuring that violations of international law in Ukraine are investigated, that evidence is gathered, and that perpetrators are held accountable.
    • In 2022, since the start of the war, the Government of Canada has committed over $3.4 billion in support to Ukraine. This includes: $1.95 billion in bilateral and multilateral loans, $626 million in military assistance, $96 million in bilateral development assistance programming, $320 million in humanitarian assistance, $41.5 million in security and stabilization programming, a $50 million guarantee to enable a EUR 300 million European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) loan to deliver critical energy within Ukraine over the winter, as well as new immigration measures for Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion.
    • Most recently, the Prime Minister announced that the Government of Canada will issue Ukraine Sovereignty Bonds, the proceeds of which will be channelled directly to Ukraine through the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Administered Account. As well, the Prime Minister allocated $55 million from previously announced funding to humanitarian partners to support winterization initiatives, announced new sanctions, and the launch of Canada-Ukraine Science Partnership, aimed to help Ukraine preserve and rebuild its science and research capacity.
    • This year alone, in coordination with allies, Canada has imposed an unprecedented number of severe and hard-hitting sanctions against over 1,400 individuals and entities in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and has also put in place numerous measures to increase economic pressure on the Putin regime and its allies.
    • Canada has also extended and expanded the Canadian Armed Forces’ Operation UNIFIER, which continues to train members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
  • 6.2 Climate change is a crosscutting issue impacting every stream of Global Affairs Canada, how will this issue grow in importance in the future and how do you plan to address it?
    • Biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution/waste are the three planetary crises for which the need for urgent, ambitious and coordinated action will only grow exponentially in the near future.
    • In fact, this triple crisis is already upending the world order. It is redefining how we live and work, and disrupting the systems of production, trade, economics, and finance, with impacts felt in all of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development streams of GAC’s mandate.
    • To achieve a nature-positive, carbon-neutral, sustainable and healthy near future, public support and international assistance will not be sufficient. Twenty first century diplomacy will have to shape the transformative systems change needed, and rethink the actual modes of multilateral collaboration, and international trade.
    • We have already applied this approach with success to the development of Canada’s renewed approach to Asia-Pacific, to GAC’s implementation of the Triple Nexus Approach to Development Assistance, and to Canada’s revised approach to Science, Technology and Innovation negotiations with the G7.
    • Canada’s recent increased commitment to climate finance also constitutes urgent action to address these interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution/waste, which disproportionally affect the poorest and most vulnerable. Canada will allocate at least 20% of its $5.3 billion climate finance commitment to projects that leverage nature-based solutions and projects that contribute biodiversity co-benefits in developing economies. This represents more than $1 billion. Canada will also ensure that all of its climate finance investments are nature-positive.
  • 6.3 What is Canada doing to address the food security crisis?
    • In response to increasing global hunger and malnutrition, Canada has made significant new commitments to humanitarian food and nutrition assistance, including a record amount of more than $615 million allocated so far in 2022.
    • This support addresses acute food and nutrition needs and is largely targeted to Sub Saharan Africa and is focused on the most vulnerable.
    • Canada also provides longer-term development investments that address the root causes of hunger and help build more resilient agri-food systems.
      • In 2021-22, Canada disbursed $602 million on agriculture and food systems.
      • In 2020-21, Canada disbursed $829 million, the largest disbursement to agriculture in two decades, including $313 million in climate finance loans.
      • Recently approved projects include:
        • $100 million to support small and medium-sized agri-food enterprise growth in Africa through the African Development Bank; and
        • $52 million for agricultural solutions, including grain storage units in Ukraine.
  • 6.4 What is Canada doing to assist with the ongoing situation in Haiti?
    • We are deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Haiti, and we have been an active partner in providing humanitarian assistance and contributing to stabilization efforts.
    • So far this year, Canada has provided over $7.5M in humanitarian assistance to Haiti.
    • On October 26-29, Canada deployed an interdepartmental assessment mission that evaluated options for an international response, as well as assessed what role Canada can play moving forward.
    • We are working closely with our allies in the international community to fight impunity by implementing the new UNSC sanctions regime in line with our international legal obligations.
    • We are also continuing our long-standing support to the security sector in Haiti, in particular through a recent contribution of $10 million to the Security Multilateral Basket Fund implemented by the UNDP.
    • In addition to these efforts, Canada also supports multiple projects in health, education, governance, security, the fight against corruption and impunity, economic growth and climate change, totaling nearly $92 million this fiscal year, which includes a contribution of $20 million to support reconstruction efforts following the August 2021 earthquake.
    • Canada is committed to supporting the quick implementation of Haitian-led solutions to resolve the security and humanitarian crisis affecting the lives of millions of Haitians. We will continue to provide support however we are able to.
  • 6.5 How is Canada responding to the ongoing situation in Iran?
    • Canada has implemented robust sanctions against the Iranian regime in response to its threats to international peace and security and its human rights violations.
    • Since October 3rd, 2022, we have announced and implemented three rounds of sanctions against the regime’s senior most individuals and entities in response to Iran’s brutal crackdown against civilians, including against Iran’s notorious Morality Police and its leadership.
    • Canada has publically condemned the Iranian regime’s actions on many occasions, and is once again leading the annual resolution at the United Nations (UN) on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which we have led since 2003.
    • Canada is providing regular briefings to likeminded and regional countries on the situation in Iran and will continue to work with our closest partners in the international community to align sanctions strategy for maximum impact.