Dalhousie University
Delegation

On 16 January, 2006, Dr. Stephen Brown, Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa presented on Canada's new International Policy Statement (IPS). This event was co-sponsored by Dalhousie University's Rights and Democracy Student Delegation, along with the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies (CFPS) and Department of International Development Studies (IDS) at Dalhousie University.

The presentation brought together diverse backgrounds including professors, students (both undergraduate and graduate), and members of local civil society groups.

Dr. Brown discussed Canada's new IPS statement as it relates to international development. The IPS sets out five sectors of Canadian assistance "directly related to achieving the MDGs", including good governance, health, basic education, private sector development and environmental sustainability, with gender as a crosscutting theme (Canada, 2005b: 11). Centrally, Brown argues that the statement follows long-term trends in Canadian foreign aid and thus uncritically adopts positions that are based on promoting neo-liberal ideology. He suggests that the IPS does not take into full consideration the contradictions enmeshed in the global system that creates wealth and poverty, and thus problems of poverty and inequality. He also argues that the IPS places far too much emphasis on the role of the private sector, and ignores the central role of the state in achieving development goals. Essentially, then, the IPS remains rather ambiguous and does not provide solid directions for fostering development objectives abroad.

Interestingly, as Brown notes, "Canada's political, commercial and security interests ("international realism") have progressively replaced ethics and compassion ("humane internationalism") in government policy documents since the mid-1970s." (p.3). Brown concludes by stating that the IPS's "central concern is to strategically reposition Canada in a world seen through the lens of new security threats and a highly competitive global economy" (p.13). However, critical issues such as ethics or human rights-which were cornerstone issues in Canada's foreign policy in the past-are left largely ignored in the IPS. This is a central gap missing in the IPS, according to Brown. As he concludes, "with a truer and more sincere expression of solidarity across borders, Canada's development cooperation could actually merit the appellation of best in the world" (p.14).