The election of a new Canadian federal government, in a context of increasing tensions with the United States and other large powers, has sparked debates about the future of the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) Ottawa adopted in 2017.
Those debates are informed by Auditor General Karen Hogan’s report to Parliament in 2023, concluding that “Global Affairs Canada (GAC) was unable to show how the approximately $3.5 billion in bilateral development assistance it provides each year … improved outcomes for women and girls.” Though the report identified the “weaknesses in the department’s information management practices” which “resulted in incomplete or missing project files” as the main problem to be corrected, it underscored how GAC was unable to document long-term gender equality (GE) outcomes which Canada contributed to in developing country contexts.
Our research speaks to those issues by demonstrating the outcomes of Canada’s FIAP in three Latin American and Caribbean contexts where Canada has major international assistance programs. Colombia is a middle-income country implementing a peace accord with significant GE components; Haiti is a low-income country struggling to reestablish public security and legitimate government; Jamaica and the broader Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are mostly middle-income countries with liberal democratic institutions but also with high levels of violence, including gender-based violence (GBV). From fiscal year 2014-2015 until 2023-2024, Haiti received an average of $109 million of aid per year; CARICOM (including Jamaica) received an average of $53 million; and Colombia received an average of $55 million per year. Our research focused on Canada’s assistance at the intersection of GE, peace, justice and security — leaving other areas for GE programming like education, health and poverty reduction, to other studies.
Overall, we found that FIAP led to major increases in Canadian funding focused on GE or with significant GE components. In all three countries, governmental and civil society partners often believed that FIAP had helped advance GE efforts in their society. In Colombia, partners noted that FIAP distinguished Canada from other international partners and opened the door to supporting a variety of feminist voices on the ground – including Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and LGBTQ activists. In Jamaica and across the CARICOM region, partners indicated that FIAP ensured that gender equality is always considered. Still, some urged Canada to be more sensitive to voices rooted in more traditional feminist perspectives, emphasizing that when feminist approaches reflect the realities in the region — where colonial histories, social class, and religious values influence how gender is experienced, they create opportunities for robust support and lasting change. In Haiti, partners including organisations of women with disabilities, argued that the FIAP should continue as a strategic lever to promote GE and generational change. Yet many emphasised that Canada must learn from its mistakes, for example by being more inclusive of local organisations of women with disabilities.
Above all, what stands out from our research are concrete outcomes on the ground. In Colombia, we observed how a project led by The HALO Trust ensured that women were recruited for all roles – from deminers to logistics officers – playing a vital role in the removal of landmines from several conflict zones. We also observed how a project led by Lawyers Without Borders Canada improved access to justice for women and girls, ensuring that their voices were placed at the centre of transitional justice processes following the 2016 Peace Accords.
In Jamaica and the wider CARICOM region, through the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) Project, FIAP helped to establish more victim-friendly and gender-sensitive court environments. It also supported the training of judicial officers and overall strengthening of case management systems to enhance judicial accountability. Similarly, the Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean Justice Project (IMPACT) supported legislative drafting, legal aid reforms, and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, among others, helping to reduce court backlogs. Together, these projects improved access to justice for women, children, and vulnerable groups by strengthening technical, policy, and judicial systems across the region.
In Haiti, Voices and Leadership of Women, led by the Centre d’études et de coopération international (CECI), reinforced 36 Haitian women’s organisations including an organisation of women with disabilities, and provided 4000 women victims of GBV with medical and psychological support. Projects led by Cowater International, in partnership with the Haitian National Police, significantly increased the recruitment of women into the Police and revitalised efforts to strengthen its women’s affairs machinery across the country.
Nonetheless, our research reminds us that the challenge of long-term, transformative results is real. Partners in Colombia and Haiti stressed that moving attitudes and collective behaviour towards greater GE for all, requires generations and the favourable alignment of many factors. Demanding GAC procedures, combined with lack of long-term engagement, don’t help. The incoherence of Canadian policies — for example promoting Canadian mining practices that undermine Indigenous communities in Colombia or supporting Haitian governments that do not prioritize GE or inclusive governance — can blunt the promising outcomes of GE projects.
The future of FIAP hangs in the balance. As a Colombian activist put it: “Having a feminist policy is better than not having one, but governments should be careful not to use it as window-dressing to look good in the public eye.” Measuring success remains a challenge that extends beyond GAC’s mandate and programs. There is a clear need to update FIAP to reflect lessons learned since 2017 and/or to integrate it into a broader Canadian international policy suited to today’s more challenging global environment. With other countries retreating from their commitments, this is an opportunity for Canada to reinforce its global influence in advancing GE and inclusion at a time when both are vital. GAC should retain the key programming tools developed in partnership with others—from gender equality spending targets to feminist approaches to evaluation. However, Ottawa must renew its commitment to policy coherence and feminist values in Canada’s foreign policy and aid. This is something we owe to Canadians and to our global partners.
The full results were presented at a panel held on April 30, 2025. You can find the authors’ biographies and watch the full panel here. Thanks to Denise Beaulieu, Rebecca Tiessen, Lilly Nicholls, and Beth Woroniuk, for their feedback.
