WATCH: Shifting Power: Direction and Control as a Key Obstacle to Localizing International Assistance
On November 12, Senator Ratna Omidvar participated in Cooperation Canada’s virtual series, Shifting Cooperation Paradigms: Adapting to a changing context in the COVID pandemic.
The session was moderated by Denise Byrnes, Director of Oxfam Quebec. Fellow panelists included Lynn Eakin, Policy Advisor for the Ontario Nonprofit Network, and John Clayton, Director of Programs for Samaritan’s Purse Canada.
During the session, they discussed how Direction and Control regulations impose outdated and ineffective obligations on Canadian charities, requiring them to exercise full control of the activities and spending of their local partners. These regulations force charities to impose rigid mechanisms of top-bottom hierarchy. For this reason, Senator Omidvar is proposing an alternative bill that would supplant the ‘direction and control’ approach with that of resource accountability.
Click here to watch the recording of the webinar
Click here to learn more about Cooperation Canada’s Online Development Series