Situating Canada’s Feminist Foreign Policy Priorities in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic and a Rapidly Changing Global Context

Abstract

Since 2014, several countries including Canada have adopted feminist foreign policies. Canada’s feminist foreign policy is an evolving set of commitments and priorities that include the initial stages of the development of a Feminist White Paper (Government of Canada 2020a) and explicit policy commitments such as the Feminist International Assistance Policy. Other Canadian commitments that comprise Canada’s feminist foreign policy include Canada’s National Action Plan on Women; Peace and Security; Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada’s Defence Policy; and Canada’s 2018 Trade Policy. This chapter examines the global context in which feminist foreign policy is becoming increasingly popular; the current state of Canada’s feminist foreign policy; and considerations for Canada’s next steps in the creation of an expanded vision of a feminist foreign policy in light of COVID-19 pandemic and a rapidly changing global context. Through these analyses, this chapter considers the implications for Canada as a leader among nations in terms of maximizing opportunities, addressing weaknesses and committing resources for enacting a feminist foreign policy, with attention to the broad global challenges we are facing and the specific implications brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.