Rethinking Canadian Aid, 2nd ed., by Stephen Brown, Molly den Heyer, and David R. Black (eds.)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Hunter McGill, Senior Fellow, School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Hunter.Mcgill@uottawa.caWith the change of government in in late 2015 and the proclamation by the new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, that Canada is back on the world stage, it is very timely to be able to consult Rethinking Canadian Aid as we await the outcome of the international assistance review, underway at the time this commentary is being written. book's editors and contributors have had much to say over the years about performance as an donor, and those interested in development assistance may be reluctant to pick up this volume given the existing supply of critiques of Canadian aid--as noted by the editors in their introduction--especially of the period of the Harper government. This compendium deserves attention, however, in preparation for a new Canadian international assistance policy framework in 2017.Rethinking Canadian Aid is a valuable counterpoint to the claims--especially during the Harper government--that has been a global leader in aid. As the government, and other Canadian actors in the national development cooperation effort, wrestle with the challenge of preparing a plan setting out how they will contribute to the global effort to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, David Black provides a useful reminder in chapter 1, Humane internationalism and the malaise of Canadian policy, of the twists and turns over the decades in the articulation of a rationale for Canadian development assistance. In chapter 3, Revisiting the ethical foundations of and development policy from a cosmopolitan perspective, John Cameron brings that challenge into focus for current policymakers by highlighting the importance of policy coherence for development (57-60) and the need to respect the Do no harm principle.Stepping down one level from this macro level of consideration, Ian Smillie in chapter 5, Results, risk, rhetoric and reality: need for common sense, reminds us that the purpose of is poverty reduction, which is supposedly the aim of aid, if the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act of 2008 (passed unanimously by Parliament) has any meaning. Smillie's comments, together with Molly den Heyer's examination of effectiveness in chapter 4 and Rebecca Tiessen's critique of performance on gender equality (chapter 10, Gender equality and the 'Two CIDAs': Successes and setbacks 1976-2015), illustrate how political leaders have used distorted language to conceal the reality that was departing in no small measure from international good practice. Den Heyer pertinently closes her chapter by saying (wistfully?) The question is whether will slip into old patterns or take advantage of the opportunity to rethink Canadian aid (84).The thematic and geographic analysis provided in the later chapters of the book is a helpful complement to the earlier discussions of rationale, strategy, and in the context of North-South relations writ large. Not surprisingly, to fragile and conflict-affected countries gets extensive treatment by David Carment and Yiagadeesen Samy in chapter 12, Canada's fragile states policy: What have we accomplished and where do we go from here? …