Understanding Canada Program

Through the Understanding Canada Program, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade fosters a greater knowledge and understanding of Canada, its values and its culture among scholars and other influential groups abroad. The Program consists of a comprehensive set of grants designed to enable foreign international academics to develop and teach courses about Canada, or to undertake research in their own discipline about an aspect of Canada, leading to publication in Canadian and foreign scholarly presses. 

Awards and Grants Available

Officially launched April 1, 2008, the Understanding Canada Program succeeds the Canadian Studies Program and offers both programs for individuals and organizations: 

• Grants available for Individuals
  In programs designed for individuals, the awards assist selected academics and graduate students to undertake studies relating to Canada by contributing towards international airfare, and a flat-rate weekly or monthly allowance during their study visit in Canada, and/or research expenses within their own country and Canada.
• Grants available for Organizations
  The programs designed for organizations seek to assist foreign organizations in the promotion and development of the study of Canada (particularly through seminars, conferences, workshops and roundtables); the development of Canadian Studies programs or activities abroad; the strengthening of Canadiana library holdings in support of teaching and research about Canada; engage in research and publications about Canada and provide incentives to foreign publishing houses to publish scholarly works about Canada in the national language.

Impact

The scope of the Program varies greatly depending on the region, country or even institutions. For example, it may encompass a student exchange in one organization whereas another may prefer to organize a seminar or conference regarding aspects of Canada's bilateral and multilateral relations and subjects such as: social and political sciences; the Canadian political system; geography; history; business studies; the economy; women studies; aboriginal issues; Canadian culture and multiculturalism; social values; the environment; law; information media; and English- and French-Canadian literature.

The program also generates an extraordinary amount of research about Canada. In addition to Canadian studies journals published by the associations, articles, theses, essays, books and studies on Canadian realities number in the hundreds each year. What's more, these documents often prove useful to national governments in their relations with Canada.

Canadianists

Foreign academics who research, teach, study and publish about Canada, more commonly know as Canadianists, are independent observers making them credible interlocutors and a source of valuable advice for their governments and fellow citizens on specifics issues or priorities involving their countries' relations with Canada. The Understanding Canada Program has a positive influence on the promotion of Canada's interests in the world as demonstrated in the 2008 year-end report (PDF * 94 KB) of its first year of existence.

In addition to academics, some Canadian studies associations also include politicians, senior public servants, business people, high school teachers, administrators, publishing house representatives, professionals and journalists.

Resources

In a recent study (summer and fall 2009) it was demonstrated that the modest investment made by Canada in this program (approximately $5 million per year) generated 33 times its value in programming in which $55 million were spent directly in Canada.