FAAE Rapport du Comité

Before moving to the full range of the Committee’s proposals for new and/or expanded directions in Canadian policy, it is important first to have a thorough appreciation of what Canada has been doing to date in terms of assisting democratic development, and of what Canada is capable of offering to this global endeavour.

Accordingly, Chapter 4 surveys both the genesis of Canadian support for democratic development during the 1980s — noting the crucial parliamentary role in this — and the subsequent evolution of Canadian policy and activity in this area up to the present day. While Canada has not yet reached the level of some other donors, there is a substantial base, both at the governmental and non-governmental level, which can be improved and built upon.

Chapter 5 then elaborates on the range of possibilities in terms of Canadian capabilities and potential comparative advantages in doing democratic development work. More public funding for this work will be necessary in order to significantly advance Canada’s role, some of which can be done through governmental instruments. But there is still greater potential to be considered through the use of independent and arms-length instruments. In that sense, Chapter 5 leads into Part III of the report in which the Committee makes its core recommendations for strengthening Canada’s contribution to international democratic development in terms of both Canadian policy and funding.