Canadian civil society organizations working in international development have consistently been a rich source of diverse ideas and practices that have shaped Canadians’ understandings of international issues and promoted social justice and equity in the global community. Many CSOs that have spent decades building strong relationships with partner organizations and communities in the global South report that the opportunities for federal funding have been shrinking and/or narrowing. The funding and regulatory environment for Canadian civil society organizations engaged in international development work has changed dramatically since 2010. Many observers of Canadian international development assistance have highlighted the devastating impact of the 2013 merger of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, creating what is now known as Global Affairs Canada (GAC), which has led to a loss of international development expertise and increasing red tape. Other trends in Canadian development assistance include the privileging of commercial interests over human rights, such as the Canadian government’s enthusiastic embrace of ‘innovative finance’ as a way to promote partnerships with the private sector and to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition, there has been an increase to humanitarian and multilateral aid, while proportionately less goes to bilateral programs. Furthermore, there have been important changes to the regulatory environment, such as rules on reporting on political advocacy.

This roundtable will focus on the impact of these trends on Canadian development and solidarity organizations, including how CSOs have positioned themselves by seeking non-governmental sources of funding for their humanitarian and solidarity work and advocacy.

Denis Côté (AQOCI) will discuss the funding and regulatory environment for the CSOs in Québec.

Heather Dicks (Memorial) and Andrea Paras (Guelph) will present the finding of a recent SPUR Change report that addresses the what makes for an enabling environment for Canada’s international cooperation actors, focusing on small and medium-sized organizations.

David Black (Dalhousie) will discuss the new politics of partnership, with emphasis on the changing inter- and transnational environment of ‘partnered’ norms and practices within which Canadian cso’s are required to operate.

John Cameron (Dalhousie), Heather Dicks (Memorial) and Liam Swiss (Acadia) will present the findings of a study that looks at the relationship between federal funding and advocacy by Canadian charities, based on an analysis of 15 years of data from the Canadian Revenue Agency.

Karen Spring (Ottawa) and Susan Spronk (Ottawa) will present the findings of a study that maps the experiences of Canadian civil society organizations with ‘innovative finance,’ particularly blended finance, based on interviews with key organizations engaged in international development and solidarity work.