Canadian Centre on Peace, Order and Good Government

In December 2019, the Minister of Foreign Affairs was mandated to establish, with
the support of the Minister of International Development, the Canadian Centre for
Peace, Order and Good Government to expand the availability of Canadian expertise
and assistance to those seeking to build peace, advance justice, promote human
rights and democracy, and deliver good governance. The Main Estimates for 2020-
2021 included a commitment of $50 million a year for the new Canadian Centre.
 

This mandate priority builds on the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and
International Development’s landmark 2007 report “Advancing Canada’s Role in
International Support for Democratic Development”, the 2009 Advisory Panel
Report on the “Creation of a Canadian Democracy Promotion Agency” and the 2019
Standing Committee report “Renewing Canada’s Role in International Support for
Democratic Development”.
 

The Government of Canada’s renewed commitment to democracy support comes at
a time when democracy is in retreat in many parts of the world, populist
nationalism is challenging norms and autocratic forces are on the rise. For many
inside and outside government, it has never been more timely or more important
for Canada to step up and make democracy and human rights promotion a central
priority of Canadian foreign policy.

Participants:

• Thomas S. Axworthy — Massey College
• Margaret Biggs — Massey College and Queen’s University
• Robert Greenhill — Global Canada
• Huguette Labelle — Chair, Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments
• Monika Le Roy — InterAmerican Development Bank, Former PMO
• Owen Lippert — Consultant, Former PMO
• David Ott — Global Affairs Canada
• Ben Rowswell — Canada International Council
• Sanjay Ruparelia — Ryerson, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair
• Ali Salam — Imagine Canada, Former Chief of Staff, Minister of Democratic Institutions
• Hugh Segal — Queen’s University, Former Senator
• Stephen Wallace — Former Secretary to the Governor of General
• Shelley Whiting — Global Affairs Canada

Agenda

The workshop focussed on three sets of issues:

1. Rationale: Why, why now, why Canada? Objectives and outcomes
2. Design issues: Structure, Scope/Focus, Geography, Roles/functions, funding
3. Process - How to get from here to there: Political and parliamentary strategy,
   stakeholder engagement, timing, obstacles and risks

The workshop had a two-part format:

1. Discussion of issues and options
2. Rapid prototyping of a Cabinet ‘pitch’ for a CCPOGG in order to discern areas of
   consensus, outstanding issues and conditions/obstacles to success.

Registration

N/A

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