Party Platforms

Now that the four major parties outside Quebec have released their party platforms, Foodgrains Public Policy staff have evaluated their platforms against the questions in the kit—what do they say about foreign aid, reducing global hunger, climate change, food aid and food reserves? The answers can be found below.

For the full kit, click here.

   Issue
 Conservative  
Green 
Liberal
New Democrat
Will your party ensure Canada meets the goal of increasing Official Development Assistance to 0.7% of Gross National Income?         
 No comment on the amount of aid.  An overall reading of the platform reveals that this party favours “defense” over “development” in foreign policy. Prioritize the restructuring of aid delivery while making responsible and consistent increases that will achieve the target of 0.7% of GNI within a decade.
Says nothing about amount, only about ‘rebalancing’ spending in our international priorities (defense, diplomacy, development).  This could imply more money for aid. Committed to reaching 0.7% GNI (currently $9.4B rather than current $4B) starting with immediate additional $500 million and ‘further increases.’

How will your party make sure  CIDA maintains its investment in agriculture in order to reduce global hunger?      

No mention of agriculture as part of Canada’s development aid.      The Green Party’s development assistance would focus on agriculture sectors that provide for food sovereignty through both subsistence farming and domestic commercial farming methods that are in keeping with green environmentally sound and gender equality principles.
Refers to assisting women as a key factor in health, education and smallholder farming. 
No mention of agriculture in Canada’s development aid.
How will your party ensure that Canada helps poor people adapt to a changing climate?     No future commitment mentioned, though the platform claims that Canada met its Copenhagen commitment. (A claim disputed by CFGB and many other NGOs – click here.)   Green MPs would increase financial support to the developing world for adaptation strategies.
Also: Revamp CIDA to focus more on developing community-based green economies, on poverty alleviation and programs to combat and adapt to climate change, especially strengthening its Partnership Branch for the delivery of aid.    
Nothing mentioned   Commits to ensuring that we live up to our international obligations to assist developing countries in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
How will your party ensure that Canada demonstrates global leadership in food aid?        
         

Nothing mentioned. 
Not quite what we have in mind, but does speak of  instructing Canadian embassies and consulates around the world to develop effective and early disaster reconnaissance and assessment capabilities in order to greatly speed up Canadian response time.   
Nothing mentioned. Nothing mentioned 
Will your party promote the establishment of international food reserves? Nothing mentioned   Nothing mentioned Nothing mentioned Nothing mentioned