Thank you very much for inviting me to speak to you today.
My name is Stephen Brown. I am a political science professor at the University of Ottawa. I have been studying Canadian development assistance for some 20 years, and African politics and development for about 30 years.
Let me start by admitting that I'm a bit confused by what Canada's strategy for Africa actually is. I've read the strategy document. I've even blogged about it. Much of what it describes is very worthwhile, but I'm still confused by some things, including how much Canada actually plans to do differently under the strategy.
The strategy itself lists a lot of activities that Canada is already doing. It's actually a quite backward-looking document for something that should be more forward-looking. What is it going to do that is different from what Canada is doing, or has been doing, for the past 10 or even 20 years?
The second point, or main point, of confusion for me is this: How many new things can it do without any additional resources or without abandoning any activities that it currently undertakes? The budget that was released last month has left me even more confused vis-à-vis Canada's intentions towards Africa. Though the strategy brags about opening three new embassies or high commissions in Africa, now there's talk about Canada closing embassies. There's going to be less money for aid, but the budget document also mentions that Canada will focus support on countries that need it most. Does that mean more aid for Africa, or less aid?
The strategy emphasizes the importance of health, but the budget singled out cuts for health, very specifically, suggesting that Canada has actually lost interest in being a leader in this area, especially in sexual and reproductive health and rights. More broadly, how can Canada be new, innovative and ambitious in Africa while cutting Global Affairs Canada's budget and staffing?
I endorse the recommendations made by the witnesses who have just spoken, and I'd like to make a few more of my own.
First, trade and investment are important, but we mustn't forget about human rights and environmental protection. Canadian mining companies in Africa are particularly problematic in that area, but both Conservative and Liberal governments have proven unwilling to do anything serious about that.
The second thing would be to maintain vital work in the health sector, which is all the more urgent with the U.S.'s withdrawal from assistance in this area.
Third, the same would go for LGBTQI+ rights. There's an urgent need to support local efforts all the more, because funding is already scarce, and the few donors that are active in this area—above all, the U.S.—have reduced or even ended their assistance.
The fourth thing is to be careful about jumping on the bandwagon of innovative and blended finance, whose contributions to poverty reduction are a lot less clear than the proponents claim.
Finally, number five is that Canada has a long history of forgetting about Africa, then remembering and forgetting it again. My colleague David Black at Dalhousie University calls this “consistent inconsistency”. If Canada wants to be taken seriously as a reliable partner, we need a clear policy to put our rhetoric into practice and invest in real long-term partnerships.
Thank you.