OTTAWA - The office of International Co-operation Minister Julian Fantino twice issued a directive that all communication with his signature be in Eng...

When I first heard about the dismantling of the Canadian International Development Agency in the government's recent budget, I was rather dismayed. Nonetheless, upon delving into the issue further, it became clear that my initial reaction was quite misguided. International aid from Canada is not coming to an end; the budget has merely initiated the merging of CIDA with the Department of Foreign Affairs. The aim is not to slash aid, but rather to have a more synergized approach to its deliverance in developing countries. The merger of CIDA with DFAIT ensures the money our government spends internationally will be more focused, effective and better reflect and preserve the national interests of Canada.

OTTAWA - The seeds of the Canadian International Development Agency's demise were sown in the days before Stephen Harper was sworn in as prime ministe...

In yesterday's budget the government announced that Canada's International Development Agency (CIDA) will be merged within the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). CIDA's mandate of poverty reduction is distinct from the mandate of DFAIT, which is to promote Canada's interests abroad. The merger of these departments must be done without watering down CIDA's mandate.

One of the few items that drew anger in a relatively cautious 2013 budget was the decision to merge CIDA, Canada's agency responsible for delivering f...

OTTAWA - Canada has cut direct foreign aid to China as part of an overhaul of international assistance spending.It's one of 14 countries that will see...

The Harper government would do well to learn from the approach of the Conservative government in the United Kingdom which, in a difficult economic situation, has made the laudable commitment not to cut its aid budget. Scaling back our development assistance is, frankly, out of step with Canadian values.

Faith groups in Canada do great humanitarian work around the world, interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae said Wednesday, in the wake of an uproar over a gov...

OTTAWA - An evangelical organization that describes homosexuality as a "perversion" and a "sin" is receiving funding from the Government of Canada for...

OTTAWA - A government executive who worked on alleviating poverty around the world lacked judgment and wilfully broke the rules in order to run a priv...

2013 will be a determinant year for Canada on the international scene. Best illustrated by the new directives given to the Canadian International Development Agency's (CIDA), the policy shifts initiated by our government in terms of international aid in the last year cast doubt on the role we will play in overcoming the many hurdles developing countries face.

It may be that the inherent complexity of international development initiatives -- which occur in dynamic and unpredictable environments, such Haiti's -- precludes a quick or linear path towards development results. Within this framework, failure may actually be a necessary stepping-stone on the path towards success.

OTTAWA - The U.S. State Department and the United Nations chided Canada's international co-operation minister Wednesday over his controversial remarks...

The single woman entrepreneur operating a start-up business in a remote village of Bangladesh is just as important as the large multinational company employing hundreds of thousands of people around the globe. CIDA works with both to help alleviate poverty in the developing world. Our government will continue to be there when humanitarian crises strikes the globe's most vulnerable. But our long-term goal is to help people help themselves, so that they can move themselves and their families from poverty to prosperity -- a result I believe all Canadians can take pride in.

Since 2004, Canada's foreign aid strategy has experienced a noticeable move along a spectrum from morality to national self-interest. Whether you call it a tipping point or a crisis, the shift in Canada's aid policy poses some fundamental questions of us as Canadians; for instance: why do we give foreign aid?