Canada’s progress on Summit for Democracy commitments

• Canada secured funding for a new protecting democracy team, expansion of the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism, and activities of the Digital Citizen Initiative.
• The Digital Citizen Contribution Program launched a call for proposals in March 2022 to build media literacy and address disinformation.
• The 2021 Guiding principles on diversity of online content were developed and published.
• The second independent Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol was published.

• Broad-reaching stakeholder consultations took place in May 2022 to seek feedback on mandate and activities of proposed Centre.
• Three ministerial-level roundtables in 2022 allowed elected officials to hear directly from thought leaders and experts.

• Canada announced CAN$10 million for fast and flexible support to La Francophonie countries, which will assist the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, civil society organizations, human rights advocates and political activists to address new and emerging challenges that are threatening democracy and human rights.

• The PMYC met 10 times with multiple partners and youth stakeholders between December 2021 and March 2023.
• The sixth cohort of the PMYC was welcomed in February 2023. The current cohort members (Cohort 5) will complete their mandate in June 2023.
• A youth impact policy analysis tool was made available to federal government policy makers in February 2023.

• RRM Canada helped prepare a joint public G7 annual report on disinformation in May 2022. It also named states perpetrating disinformation, engaged with other multilateral bodies to enable complementarity of initiatives to address disinformation, enhanced collective assessment capacity by facilitating 5 projects with G7 partners, and produced over 50 reports on threats posed by disinformation.
• RRM Canada also established a multi-stakeholder crisis network comprised of G7 governments, social media platforms and civil society organizations to tackle Russian disinformation and support the integrity of Ukraine’s information environment.

• The Declaration has been endorsed by 3 additional states since the first Summit.
• The Joint declaration following the third EU-Canada Joint Ministerial Committee meeting welcomed the EU’s intention to support Canada’s Partnership Action Plan under the Declaration against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State relations.

• As chair of International IDEA for 2022, Canada continued its multi-stakeholder engagement to address disinformation, including its impact on democratic processes, in particular related to the Global South.
• In September 2022, on the margins of UN General Assembly High-Level Week, Canada co-hosted an event with the Freedom Online Coalition, Media Freedom Coalition and IDEA Secretariat on “Upholding democracy and human rights in the face of rising disinformation”.

• In 2022, Canada successfully chaired the FOC and enabled a smooth transition to the new U.S. Chair in January 2023.
• Canada published a Chair’s statement on Russian state-sponsored disinformation in Ukraine, which was endorsed by 20 FOC member states. The FOC also published its first consensus-based, country-specific statement to address Internet shutdowns in Iran.
• Canada’s chairship accomplishments are reflected in the end of year report, including the “Ottawa Agenda,” which is a set of recommendations for freedom online supported by all members.

• From December 2021 to March 2023, Canada will have supported 9 election observation missions to the Organization of American States.
• From December 2021 to March 2023, Canada will have deployed 66 Canadian expert election observers to election observation missions in Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe countries.
• In February 2022, Canada launched a CAN$2 million project titled “Democracy and Human Rights Promotion through Election Observation.”

• Canada is in the process of renewing the National Cyber Security Strategy and is moving forward with its international cyber security strategy.
• Canada has regularly attended the UN cyber Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) and other multilateral forums to advocate for the implementation of the framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.
• Canada has worked with other states to develop the UN Cyber Programme of Action, adopted via a UN General Assembly First Committee resolution.

• Canada continues to work with partners and allies to address the gender dimensions of cyber security at the UN cyber OEWG and elsewhere.
• Canada is a sponsor of the Women in International Security and Cyberspace Fellowship program.

• Canada has adhered to the OECD DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance.
• In June 2022, Canada launched the High Level Narrative Update on progress in implementing Canada’s Policy for Civil Society Partnerships.
• Canada participates in the Summit for Democracy civil society cohort led by Norway, the Czech Republic and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law.
• Canada continued its chairship of the Community of Democracies Working Group on Enabling and Protecting Civil Society in 2022.

• Canada funded the WFD program with a focus on the ASEAN region.
• Canada has been supporting projects that address systemic barriers to women’s participation in leadership and decision-making roles, including historic investments through the 2021 Feminist Response and Recovery Fund.
• Since December 2021, Canada has also dedicated investments toward projects led by the Assembly of First Nations, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada and Women of the Métis Nation to empower and increase Indigenous women’s leadership and democratic participation in their communities.

• On June 21, 2021, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act became law.
• Canada is working in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples to develop an action plan and take measures to ensure that federal laws are consistent with the Declaration. The action plan is expected in June 2023.
• A first annual progress report was tabled in Parliament on June 21, 2022, with a second report expected in June 2023.

• Canada published its 2022-24 National Action Plan on Open Government in September 2022. Public tracking of progress is ongoing.
• At the international level, Canada played a critical role in the development of the OGP’s new 2023-2028 strategy.
• As a member of the OGP Steering Committee, Canada continues its engagement in the Standards and Criteria Subcommittee.  
• Canada met its obligations to support the OGP Multi-Donor Trust Fund for 2022. 

• In June 2022, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly met with counterparts from the Alliance for Development in Democracy (Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic) and signed the Joint Declaration: Fostering a strategic dialogue between Canada and the Members of the Alliance for Development in Democracy.

• Preparations have been completed and the call is expected to be launched in 2023.

• Through the Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program, Canada supports states in strengthening their anti-corruption policies and regulatory frameworks and their capacity to investigate corruption-related crimes and money laundering.
• For example, Canada currently supports 3 projects (CAN$10.2 million) to enhance the capacity of beneficiary states to combat corruption and money laundering.
• Canada has also contributed CAN$2.2 million (2017-2022) to support the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in implementing the UN Convention Against Corruption.

• In June 2022, a preparatory meeting with 15 state and 15 stakeholder participants introduced the initiative and its objectives.
• In November 2022, the High-Level Roundtable on Anti-Corruption was successfully convened in partnership with Ecuador and the Netherlands in The Hague, where Ministers recognized a common basis to advance the fight against corruption.

• Since December 2021, Canada has completed the principal design elements of the registry regime and has passed an initial set of legislative amendments necessary to enact the regime.
• Budget 2022 committed to accelerate by 2 years the implementation of a public and searchable national beneficial ownership registry.

• Canada has taken steps to strengthen its procurement policy by integrating human rights, ESG principles and supply chain transparency principles into government procurements.

• Canada has made substantive and positive contributions to developing countries to manage natural resources in an inclusive, transparent and sustainable way, such as through funding for the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
• Through ongoing funding to the Open Government Partnership Multi-Donor Trust Fund, Canada is supporting governments in Burkina Faso, Panama, Nigeria and Ghana to make important progress on their open government reforms.

• Since May 30, 2022, the Government of Canada has been proactively publishing additional information for contracts over CAN$10,000, including buyer name, vendor postal code and application of comprehensive land claims agreements.
• Since July 30, 2022, the data has also included whether contracts were awarded to Indigenous businesses and whether they were set aside under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business.
• Inclusion of other types of information is being piloted, such as: sole source rationale, competitive contract criteria, and applicability of the Federal Contractors Program.

• Canada’s Access to Justice Secretariat serves as policy lead and coordinating hub for the justice-themed commitment in Canada’s 2022-2024 National Action Plan on Open Government.
• Progress to advance legal literacy and empowerment; collect and share data, including disaggregated data; identify and share promising practices; and foster partnerships and collaboration is tracked quarterly on the Open Government Tracker.
• Substantial progress has been reported for the majority of the 22 indicators, with 3 completed.

• Recognizing that Canada’s fight against racism is far from over, Budget 2022 provided CAN$85 million over 4 years to renew Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and to launch a new Action Plan on Combatting Hate.
• On November 27, 2022, Canada launched the Indo-Pacific Strategy, which includes fighting against anti-Asian racism in Canada, in all its forms, through the full implementation of the federal Anti-Racism Strategy.
• In January 2023, Canada signed the Declaration on the North American Partnership for Equity and Racial Justice, as well as the Canada-Mexico Action Plan, which includes an anti-racism pillar focused on combating inequality, racial discrimination and hate.
• On January 26, 2023, Canada appointed a Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia.

• Budget 2021 invested CAN$126.7 million over 3 years to improve access to high quality and culturally safe health services to address anti-Indigenous racism within health systems in Canada.
• Budget 2022 provides CAN$227.6 million over 2 years to maintain trauma-informed, culturally appropriate, Indigenous-led services to improve mental wellness.
• On February 7, 2023, Canada announced CAN$2 billion over 10 years to address the unique challenges Indigenous peoples face when it comes to fair and equitable access to culturally safe health services. 

• Canada provided CAN$5 million to the OHCHR in December 2021.

• On August 28, 2022, Canada launched the first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, which seeks to advance rights and equality for 2SLGBTQI+ communties in Canada, and to address and prevent stigma and discrimination from emerging or worsening for future generations.
• The Action Plan’s implementation is supported by CAN$100 million announced in Budget 2022.

• By February 2022, Canada had provided CAN$3 million to the Global Media Defence Fund, administered by UNESCO, supporting not-for-profit organizations to enhance journalists’ legal protection and promote media freedom.
• In July 2022, the UN Human Rights Council biannual resolution on freedom of expression, co-led by Canada and the Netherlands, was adopted.
• Canada is monitoring specific cases of journalists at risk in several countries through the diplomatic networks of the Media Freedom Coalition.

• Canada committed CAN$2 million in new funding to support these rapid response emergency and capacity building assistance programs in September 2022.

• Throughout 2022, and in early 2023, Canada collaborated, and continues to collaborate, with international and Canadian partners, including the UN Refugee Agency, Front Line Defenders, and ProtectDefenders.eu, to improve the new refugee stream for human rights defenders.
• In Winter 2022, Canada signed contribution agreements with Front Line Defenders and ProtectDefenders.eu to support the identification of people from around the world most in need of resettlement.
• In the context of the special humanitarian program for Afghan nationals, Canada has expanded the number of spaces available to human rights defenders and is working with Front Line Defenders and ProtectDefenders.eu to resettle Afghan human rights defenders at risk.

• The RBC Strategy was launched on April 28, 2022.The Strategy outlines Canada’s approach to responsible business conduct for Canadian companies active abroad, provides guidance to increase due diligence and accountability and advances Canadian leadership on responsible business conduct on the global stage.

• Canada announced its 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan on February 14, 2022. The Plan includes the resettlement of 138,100 refugees by the end of 2024, and an ambitious commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghans by the end of 2023.
• From December 1, 2021, until December 31, 2022, Canada welcomed the arrival of 50,985 resettled refugees through our resettlement programs as well as an additional 27,345 Afghan nationals.

• The GTF was launched in April 2022, with Canada agreeing to be the inaugural chair for the first 2 years.
• Since the COVID-19 pandemic, updated tools and resources were used to promote private/community sponsorship through the GRSI.
• Canada’s participation is ongoing in meetings of GRSI and GTF partnerships to exchange information and advance shared priorities.

On December 10, 2021, the White House announced the launch of an export controls and human rights initiative. Canada has since worked with the United States and other like-minded countries to finalize the text of a non-legally-binding “Code of Conduct for Enhancing Export Controls of Goods and Technology That Could Be Misused and Lead to Serious Violations or Abuses of Human Rights.” This Code of Conduct is to be released at the Second Summit for Democracy.