Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development

Comité permanent des affaires étrangères et du développement international

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 18, 2019 -

The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development presented a report to the House of Commons entitled Renewing Canada’s Role in International Support for Democratic Development.

This report builds on a comprehensive study that the Committee conducted from 2006–2007. That study culminated in a report which recommended that Canada increase its international support for democratic development, including through the creation on a new independent institution dedicated to the task.

Returning to these issues in 2019, the Committee found that the field of democratic development has evolved significantly. Witnesses described worrying trends in global governance, which have been driven by the rising assertiveness of autocratic powers and the emergence of strongmen regimes. The testimony gathered by the Committee made it clear that the world needs democratic development more now than it has at any time in recent memory.

At the same time, there is now greater recognition that the promotion of sustainable democracy is a complex, long-term endeavour that requires both strengthening democratic institutions and encouraging the adoption of democratic values. Supporting and fostering those twin objectives requires a broad approach to democratic development that is tailored to the local context in partner countries.

The Committee believes that the Government of Canada should develop a new democratic development strategy as part of a broader commitment to making democratic governance a priority of Canada’s international assistance policy. To this end, the Committee is recommending that the Government of Canada establish a new institution dedicated to international democratic development. It is the Committee’s view that this institution would complement ongoing efforts by the government and Canadian civil society organizations to support international democratic development, while providing a home for Canadian experts.

The full text of the Committee’s report is available on its website.