Carney declares end to Canada's 'feminist foreign policy,' breaking from Trudeau era doctrine

Canada no longer considers its approach to global engagement a “feminist foreign policy,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday, marking a clear departure from the doctrine championed by Justin Trudeau and his former Liberal government.

During a press conference at the G-20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Carney was asked whether Canada still applies a feminist lens while forging economic ties with countries that restrict the rights of women and LGBTQ people.

“We have that aspect to our foreign policy, but I wouldn’t describe our foreign policy as feminist foreign policy. Those are different points, but related,” he said while also affirming that gender equality remains a priority for Canada in its efforts to diversify internationally.

Carney highlighted how South Africa has elevated gender-based violence as a priority and admitted that Canada also needs to do more work in that regard, but said it’s not an economic issue.

“It is an issue of justice. It affects Canada. It affects everyone around that table. Different countries put a different priority on it,” the prime minister said. “But by discussing strategies and approaches, my experience is that I think that’s part of our policy as well.”

Carney’s remarks contrast with the tenets of Trudeau and his cabinet ministers, who made feminism a central organizing principle in Canada and in their international dealings.

Starting in the 2015 campaign that saw the Liberals elected, Trudeau promised gender equality steps that included appointing Canada’s first gender-balanced cabinet and launching the National Inquiry into missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Two years into their first mandate, the Liberals introduced the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) , a new approach to foreign aid that aligns with the United Nations to address gender equality, change gender norms and prioritize women.

No formal document outlining the specific “feminist foreign policy” was ever published during Trudeau’s tenure, but cabinet ministers continued to tout it.

“Canada’s Feminist Foreign Policy and (FIAP) are centred on building a more gender-equal world by promoting rights-based and inclusive initiatives and supporting efforts to end sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation,” Mélanie Joly stated in a 2023 news release while she was still the minister of foreign affairs.

“Canada is proud to have a feminist foreign policy, not because it looks good, but because it produces tangible and measurable results,” François-Philippe Champagne said in a speech in February 2020 when he was leading foreign affairs, The Globe and Mail reported.

Carney’s comments also come less than a month after Randeep Sarai, his secretary of state for international development, testified before the foreign affairs committee that Canada still applies a feminist lens to its foreign aid because it makes economic sense.

“It’s not just the right thing to do. It’s a smart thing to do,” he said on Oct. 28, as reported by The Canadian Press.

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