CIDA - A Failed Report Card

Bill C-293 was a serious public offering. Following two years of wrangling in both the House and the Senate, the bill was passed unanimously in Parliament and received Royal Assent over a year ago and became law. Better known as the Aid Accountability Act, it was designed to bring Canada into the modern era by demanding accountability for the proper spending of our aid dollars. The bill itself requires the government, primarily CIDA, to report annually to Parliament and account for its progress on three key themes which form the focus of the Act: 1) does it contribute to poverty reduction; 2) does it take into account the perspectives of the poor; and 3) is it consistent with international human rights standards?The Harper government presented its first annual accounting report on the Aid Accountability Act to Parliament two weeks ago, and many waited with keen anticipation to see if the government would continue hiding CIDA within a cloak and dagger operation or if it would finally use such a solemn occasion to finally treat the issue with a hoped for trait of transparency. I worked with a team of NGOs, large and small, to analyze the paper once it was presented and, sadly, it was unanimously agreed that the accountability inherent in C-293 is not being accurately reported - the smoke and mirrors remain.The report does a credible job in providing some new details on program spending, which assist in making disbursements more transparent. But of the three key areas mentioned above, neither "taking account of the perspectives of the poor," or consistency with international human rights standards is dealt with effectively, with the latter hardly being alluded to at all.  One of the observers noted that CIDA's summary report is really about "accountancy and not accountability."We examined the new report in comparison with the accounting the British version of CIDA (Department For International Development) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development must undertake each year. While CIDA's accounting for $3.75 billion comprises only six pages, the other reports run in the dozens of pages. In the area of health, where the other reports are expansive, CIDA's report offers the reader no idea of the details of the Canadian programs, their overall impact, or even the location where those programs took place.With the arrival of this annual aid accountability report, it has become increasingly clear that the hopes so many felt for CIDA have now been permanently dashed. Bill C-293 was a cooperative attempt to rescue the Agency from its isolation and secrecy, in hopes of creating an effectively responsive arm of the Canadian government that would properly oversee its aid disbursements. In fact, CIDA failed three key tests this year. The first was in its decision to pull much of its development dollars out of eight African countries. When urged my numerous NGOs, and the ambassadors of those respective countries, to reconsider, appeals fell on deaf ears. Then there was the Agency's vague announcement concerning some changes in multi-lateral funding - changes that are little understood or properly explained.With this long-awaited accountability report, CIDA and the government have now failed once again to work effectively with its partners and interested parliamentarians. With this third spoke now being broken, little confidence remains that the Agency can travel anywhere effectively as part of a democratic exercise. It could have been different. At a time when it remains under assault for its secrecy and lack of transparency, it could have used this annual report to show that it was "getting it" and working towards the hopes many have for the organization. One wonders how much longer its can continue to isolate itself in such a fashion before its own fate is finally sealed by those who cannot get the accountability they deserve. No small wonder that the dedicated CIDA employees moan the loss of a once-promising future.