Commentaries

Read CCIC's latest op-eds and letters to the editor.

Select one of the categories on the left, or visit our Archives section for past documentation.

Human rights accountability in trade with Colombia - August 15th 2011 marks the coming into force of the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement. The date starts the clock not only for new calculations on tariffs, but also the start of the period in which the Canadian and Colombian governments must track the agreement's effects on human rights as part of obligations under a unique new human rights treaty. Will this new treaty be a force for accountability for the effects of trade and investment on human rights? Op-ed by Gauri Sreenivasan (August 17, 2011 - Embassy)

Canada earns an “Incomplete” Grade on Aid Reporting - The Government’s second annual report to Parliament under the new Official Development Assistance Accountability Act, suggests the Government has opted, like in its first report produced last Autumn, for under‐reporting and minimum implementation when it comes to Canada’s new aid legislation. Op-ed by Gerry Barr (October 20, 2010 –Embassy)

Shameful retreat on foreign aid - Foreign aid was hit hard in last week's federal budget as Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced a freeze on aid spending. It's easy to get lost in numbers, percentages and charts, but in a world where more than 1 billion people are undernourished and 72 million children are unable to go to school, we should never forget that when we talk about foreign aid we're talking about the human struggle to escape poverty and pursue of life of dignity. Op-ed by Gerry Barr (March 13, 2010 –Toronto Star)

Why Do We Fund NGOs Anyway? – First, she says Immigration Minister Jason Kenney got it right when he described the ecumenically-based human-rights organization Kairos as a leader of a boycott campaign against Israel. But both she and Mr. Kenney are wrong. Kairos does not advocate for the boycott of Israel and, in fact, has rejected it on the record. Letter to the editor by Gerry Barr (Jan 8, 2010 - Globe and Mail)

Best of Times, Worst of Times: Canada’s Foreign Aid Direction - If one was to choose the icon that best reflected Canada’s foreign aid direction at the end of the first decade of the new Millennium it would have to be a cross-roads sign, festooned with multi-directional arrows to just about everywhere. Many of those arrows point in opposite directions, so predicting Canada’s future path is a challenge. Op-ed by Gerry Barr (December 16, 2009 – Embassy)

Missing half the issue: Canada must support developing countries in Copenhagen – There are two fundamental issues up for negotiation in Copenhagen: the scale of emission reductions and the provision of financing to help poorer countries adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change and reduce their own emissions. The first has clearly been at the forefront of the news and with good reason. It is imperative that wealthy countries like Canada adopt ambitious targets to reduce global emissions 25‐40 percent below the 1990 level by 2020. Letter of the editor by Dana Stefov (December 10, 2009 – Toronto Star)

Climate change in Africa – Bob Geldof is right.  Canada must repair its tarnished international reputation on climate change. Canada must also restore its relationship with Africa.  Africa is on the rise, yes, but still struggling with widespread poverty. And progress has been further jeopardized by recent global crises – food, financial and climate. Climate change adds an additional burden to the challenges of sustainable development.  Africa, as the most vulnerable continent, which has contributed the least to the global greenhouse gas emissions, deserves full support to adapt to climate change. Letter to the editor by Sylvie Perras (December 9, 2009 – Globe and Mail)

The Road to Environmental Justice starts in Copenhagen – As the United Nations climate change summit opened on Monday, thousands of negotiators, journalists and activists have converged upon Copenhagen Denmark for the climax of two years of negotiations. Reaching an ambitious, just and binding post-2012 agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be one of the great tests of our generation. What must governments deliver in Copenhagen? Op-ed by Gerry Barr (December 8, 2009 – Georgia Straight)

Green light for the WTO?  Think Again – The faint beep of the monitor for the World Trade Organization’s Doha Agenda indicates the trade round is effectively comatose. The light on the institution’s life support machine is flickering. Op-ed by Gauri Sreenivassan (November 4, 2009)

A Deadly Conflation for Aid Workers – The conflation between development aid and military operations, in the context of an insurgency, is deadly for aid workers and can hinder development efforts. Letter to the editor by Surendrini Wijeyaratne (June 25, 2009 – The Globe and Mail) 

The 5^th Summit of the Americas: Time for a Grand Gesture? – The Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago takes place in a context of rapid economic and political change in the southern half of the hemisphere. That change has been accompanied by another significant shift in the United States. The election of President Obama has raised expectations of a sea change in American policy from that of the Bush era. Commentaire signé par Gerry Barr (le 8 avril 2009 – Embassy) (disponible en anglais seulement)

The Food Crisis – This crisis is affecting more people than all the natural disasters of the past 20 years. More than a billion people don't know where their next meal will come from and whether they can afford it. This reflects the world's failure to respect, protect and fulfill the human right to adequate food. Commentaire signé par Stuart Clark et Cathleen Kneen. (juin 2008 – Toronto Star) (disponible en anglais seulement)

A Trade Deal We Don't Need – Canada, last week, concluded a "free" trade agreement with Colombia, a government that has one of the worst human rights records in the hemisphere. Lettre d'opinion de Fiona Meyer Cook (le 20 juin 2008 – National Post) (disponible en anglais seulement)

It's just a dream? – It's human rights, not just "access to justice and the rule of law, property rights, labour rights and business rights," that are needed to help end global poverty. Lettre d'opinion de Gauri Sreenivasan (le 18 juin 2008 – Globe and Mail) (disponible en anglais seulement)

Canada sacrifices small farmers on the altar of free trade at WTO talks – Take a walk in your local grocery store and you are likely to see something new happening - an increasing number of Canadians are voting with their dollars to support the livelihoods of those who grow their food. Whether through buying more local food or demanding fairly-traded products like coffee, Canadians are paying attention to the ethical implications of where they spend their food dollars. Commentaire signé par Jim Cornelius et Gerry Barr (le 28 mai 2008 – Alberta Express and Manitoba Cooperator) (disponible en anglais seulement)

Canada Needs a New Aid Law: It's Time to Pass the Bill – Senator Hugh Segal (National Post, 29 Jan.) calls for a legislated mandate for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). He's right, a weak mandate handicaps CIDA, and civil society organizations in international development have advocated a clear mandate for CIDA for decades. Op-ed by Gerry Barr (le 28 février 2008 – National Post) (disponible en anglais seulement)