Foreign Aid In Canada

Canada has held significant influence in exerting soft power and diplomacy in the world. The Canadian Government, while not as influential militarily, maintain influence in the diplomatic sphere. While peacekeeping operations are one of the most notable (it is considered one of the core parts of the Canadian identity), Canada also maintains influence in foreign aid policy. While this policy is charitable on the surface level, the conditions placed on the aid further perpetuates global inequality. Canadian foreign aid perpetuates global inequality through creating a cycle of debt (especially through buying conditions), as well as the promotion of Canadian and Western values. While Canadian foreign aid is promoted to the public as an effort to assist poorer countries in poverty reduction, it further perpetuates global inequality through the conditions to delivery.
Johnston (2010) provides an excellent definition of foreign aid and development that will be used throughout this paper.
Johnston’s (2010) definition is “that international development- true development-entails a ranges of supports and actions that enables and empowers poor people and poor countries to take charge of their own affairs. Foreign aid is a contributor to development, but development entails much more than foreign aid” (55). Lancaster contributes to this definition mentioned above, by noting that foreign aid has multiple goals in mind, with “one purpose of which is to promote long-term beneficial change, including poverty reduction, in the recipient country” (Lancaster, 2009, 799).
The discourse concerning foreign aid in Canadian society is important if the implications of foreign aid are to be understood. Often, “Canadians feel their country has a moral obligation to help poor countries” or it would eventually benefit Canadians(Goldfarb, 2006, 5). While the fact that Canada needs to assist poor countries is generally accepted, there is debate
concerning how to best help (Goldfarb, 2006). Many politicians advocate for spending more money on foreign aid (Goldfarb, 2006). However, as Goldfarb (2006) pointed out, Canada is (and even with a substantial increase) only “a relatively small donor” (5). While the official ways in which Canada donates aid are small, the donations and investments made by individuals and private corporations often make a significant difference (or so some argue) in helping poor countries develop a more stable and sustainable economy (Goldfarb, 2006). Not only do private aid programs raise more money for the poor countries, but a higher percentage of the money raised actually goes to the designated countries, as they have much lower “administrative costs” (Goldfarb, 2006, 5).
Historically, according to Chapnick (2005), Canadian governments have taken a more conservative approach to foreign policy and “have generally been reflective of the Tory underpinnings of a society founded on the principles of ‘peace, order, and good government’” (637). In fact, Chapnick (2005) argues that domestic and foreign policy have been going in opposite directions. Internationally, Canadian policy supports “gradual change within the international system” (Chapnick, 2005, 638). Canadian foreign policy, thus values “cation, collectivism, and international order” (Chapnick, 2005, 639). Chapnick (2005) highlights that “foreign aid [is tied] to national economic development, as opposed to focusing on the needs of developing countries” (646). In 2005, the Canadian government was “encouraging a move away from the country’s traditional conservative roots to a more radical conservatism”, advocating for “the existence of a moral hierarchy” (Chapnick, 2005, 648).