Canadian Government
The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown ( ...
with the purpose of improving
good governance
Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for t ...
and
institution
An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...
building in developing and unstable countries. The programme was administered by the
In the October 2004 Speech from the Throne, one element of the Canada Corps mandate highlighted the need to "help young Canadians bring their enthusiasm and energy to the world."
Canada Corps was built on four goals:
* Mobilization of Canadians to go abroad
* Public engagement
* Coherence of governance programming
* Expansion of Canada's governance base of knowledge.
Governance
All Canada Corps programs focused on governance, which was at the time defined as central to any political economy because it deals with the institutions, processes, and relationships necessary to moving a society forward. Governance was also understood to be a central part of sustainable development and poverty reduction.
Programming in governance involved a wide range of topic areas: democracy, elections and parliaments, a fair and impartial judiciary, mechanisms to respect and protect human rights, an effective and transparent public sector, and a stable and reliable security system to protect people and resolve conflict fairly and peacefully. Good governance is also an integral component of private-sector development, creating an environment that enables economic growth.
At the provincial and national level, Canada Corps desired to help build on lasting institutions, enabling countries to take charge of their own development. At the regional or local level, Canada Corps helped local governments respond better to citizens' needs.
Missions
The first mission of the program was to send a delegation of approximately 500 Canadians as election observers to the December 26
2004 Ukrainian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 31 October, 21 November, 26 December 2004 and 1 January 2005. This was the fourth Ukrainian presidential elections, presidential election in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union. The ...
. Since then, they have served as international observers in a number of other nations, notably the February 2006 Presidential Elections in
Haiti
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
and the January 2006
Palestinian
Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine.
*: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...
Parliamentary Elections. Canada Corps also had a partnership with
NetCorps
NetCorps () was a volunteer-organizing coalition consisting of nine Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and managed by the NetCorps coordination unit.
Despite its commitment to building a knowledge base on governance, not a single one of the 500 observers to the 2004 Ukrainian elections was asked to write an after-action report.
Evolution
In October 2006, Canada's newly elected Conservative government replaced Canada Corps with the new Office for Democratic Governance (ODG). Subsequently, various programs were cut and others restructured. The ODG took over most Canada Corps responsibilities for supporting CIDA programming in the following pillars of democratic governance:
* Human Rights
* Accountable Public Institutions
* Freedom and Democracy
* Rule of Law
The ODG was dissolved shortly thereafter.
See also
*
GlobalMedic
GlobalMedic is a non-sectarian humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization based in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the operational arm of the David McAntony Gibson Foundation (DMGF), a registered Canadian charity. It provides Emerg ...