Monday on Parliament Hill, a group of Canadian and international women’s rights experts will gather to discuss Canada’s role in the upcoming G8 summit on maternal and child health. Panelist Joanna Kerr, chief executive officer of ActionAid International, spoke to Siri Agrell about Hillary Clinton, cuts to foreign aid and why she thinks Canada is falling behind on women’s issues.
What issues are you going to be raising?
We’re thrilled the Canadian government has decided to focus on maternal and child health for the G8. But the fact is that they’ve been backsliding. This is a government that hasn’t taken gender equality and women’s rights issues very seriously in terms of our foreign aid. The Canadian government used to give a lot of funding directly to women’s organizations, but we’ve been shrinking that funding over the years.
Where, specifically?
We used to have a huge fund in Pakistan, a huge fund in India. We’re not renewing them. Why would you be cutting a fund in Pakistan when you’re so worried about what’s happening in Afghanistan? They’re very small pots of money, but they made a huge impact in those countries.
So why do you think they’re being cut?
The simple answer is that the current Minister for International Co-operation, Bev Oda, doesn’t believe that advocacy groups are relevant. She doesn’t like critics in her own country, and that extends to other countries as well. If you want a maternal health initiative that’s going to work in these countries, you need people to hold their governments to account. But there is an ideology within this government that we don’t support organizations that support advocacy.
Joanna Kerr, chief executive officer of ActionAid International, says that while Canada was once perceived as a leader on subjects such as women's rights and gender equality, the U.S. and European countries now appear more progressive on such issues.
Why do you think there hasn’t been more public objection to the cuts in funding?
People don’t know about it because it’s so hard for NGOs to speak out, because they get their funding cut. That’s what’s been going on. If your mandate is to help people around the world, you’re not going to rock the boat. It’s a very, very unusual time in Ottawa, the kind of censorship that is happening. At our event, for example, the people who are speaking out are not representing organizations that get Canadian funding. I’m an independent, so I can say what I want.
What do you think of the issue of abortion being raised in the lead-up to the summit?
If we are going to tackle maternal health, then we have to tackle reproductive rights. There’s a rumour going around Ottawa that the senior politicians didn’t know the difference between contraceptives and abortion.
Do you really think Stephen Harper didn’t anticipate the abortion issue?
I think Harper’s people were probably advised that this was a children’s issue. But you can’t take care of children’s health without taking care of women’s health, and you can’t take care of women’s health without taking care of reproductive rights. It’s that last piece that I don’t think they were aware they were getting themselves into.
What did you think of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s comments while she was here?
Canada used to really be perceived as a leader on women’s rights and gender equality issues, but we’re now falling behind European governments and the American government, who just sound so much more advanced and progressive than we do.
Do you think our international reputation is changing?
Absolutely. When I travel overseas I hear it all the time: What has happened to your country? What has happened to your government? You hear it all the time in the UN space. Not only is Canada behind on this stuff, we’re actually blocking a lot of stuff from moving forward.
Realistically, what would you like the Prime Minister to do during maternal health discussions?
Don’t be a blocker. Other governments are going to push for an agenda on reproductive rights, and he can’t be blocking it.
