Canada Corps was a Canadian government program created to help developing

Developing country

A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...

 and unstable countries to promote good governance

Good governance

Good governance is an indeterminate term used in development literature to describe how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in order to guarantee the realization of human rights. Governance describes "the process of decision-making and the process by which...

 and institution

Institution

An institution is any structure or mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human community...

 building. The programme was administered by the Canadian International Development Agency

Canadian International Development Agency

The Canadian International Development Agency was formed in 1968 by the Canadian government. CIDA administers foreign aid programs in developing countries, and operates in partnership with other Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors as well as other international organizations...

. The Minister for International Cooperation

Minister for International Cooperation (Canada)

The Minister for International Cooperation is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing Canadian international development strategy, including responsibility for the Canadian International Development Agency . The current Minister is Bev Oda.-Ministers:Key:...

 was responsible for the agency.

Purpose

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 determined to create a common identity around Canadian excellence in governance by affiliating with others who deliver existing governance programming as well as developing new and innovative programs of its own.

Canada Corps facilitated Canadians working together to promote good governance and institution-building in developing countries and fragile states. New and existing programs to send Canadian expertise overseas were combined under one umbrella organization. Canada Corps was designed to mobilize citizens of all backgrounds, together with non-governmental organizations and all levels of government. The intention was that by sharing our expertise in governance, we can apply our skills and ideas in the countries that need them the most.

Canada Corps was built on four goals:

• Mobilization of Canadians to go abroad,
• Public engagement,
• Coherence of governance programming, and
• Expansion of Canada's governance base of knowledge.

Governance

All Canada Corps programs focused on governance, an area where Canada has long been regarded as a leader. Good governance is central to any political economy because it deals with the institutions, processes and relationships necessary to moving a society forward. Governance is also increasingly understood to be a central part of sustainable development and poverty reduction.

Programming in governance involved a wide range of activity 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 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 programme was to send a delegation of approximately 500 Canadians as election observers to the December 26 2004 Ukrainian presidential election

Ukrainian presidential election, 2004

The Ukrainian presidential election, 2004 was held on October 31, November 21 and December 26, 2004. The election was the fourth presidential election to take place in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union...

. Since then, they have served as international observers in a number of other nations, notably the February 2006 Presidential Elections in Haiti

Haiti

Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

 and the January 2006 Palestinian

Palestinian territories

The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...

 Parliamentary Elections.

Involvement

To maximize the sharing of ideas and the long-term effectiveness of Canada's work overseas, Canada Corps also combined the maturity and experience of a wide variety of experts with the enthusiasm and new perspectives of younger Canadians.

The Canada Corps was geared towards young professionals, youth and in general younger Canadians, while drawing on experienced experts in the specific fields.

Evolution

In October 2006, Canada's newly elected Conservative government replaced Canada Corps with the new Office for Democratic Governance (ODG). Subsequently, the programs have been the victim of budgetary cuts and restructuring. The ODG is now responsible for supporting CIDA programming in the following pillars of democratic governance:

• Human Rights
• Accountable Public Institutions
• Freedom and Democracy
• Rule of Law

External links

• http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/CanadaCorps - Official Website
• http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/ODG - Official Website of ODG