From disaster to development?: The role of the Second World War in shaping Canadian humanitarian aid

Abstract

War is antithetical to development. Development, for most mainstream observers, means economic growth, or at least stability, and an increasing quality of life for all, and it cannot exist in a state of war. Yet official development assistance (ODA), one of the primary mechanisms by which many governments and civil society organizations attempt to achieve development in impoverished economies, has a history rooted in war. This paper will explore how the Second World War and its aftermath influenced the creation of Canadian ODA and international development NGOs. While Canada's aid history is most commonly associated with the Canadian International Development Agency, examining this earlier period helps contextualize current debates about the securitization of aid and its harmonization with other aspects of Canadian foreign policy. Using the Unitarian Service Committee (USC) Canada as a case study, this paper will also track its transition from a postwar humanitarian relief agency to a mainstream international development NGO. For Canadian ODA and civil society organizations, the Second World War shaped the legacy of the postwar aid regime and created lasting consequences for its operation.