Labour Funding Program: International Trade and Labour stream - Interim report
From Employment and Social Development Canada
The Government of Canada’s International Trade and Labour funding supports the negotiation and implementation of labour provisions of free trade agreements and international labour-related Memoranda of Understanding.
The evaluation covered the period of April 2012 through March 2016. As of March 31, 2016, 17 projects had received funding. The annual value of International Trade and Labour grants from April 2012 through March 2016 was approximately $1.25 million.
As is common with international development projects, it is difficult to attribute broad impacts directly back to the projects.
Interim evaluation results
- Projects responded to partner countries’ needs, with many projects designed to address more than one goal. Projects have contributed to such outcomes as:
- Building partner countries’ capacity to address labour-related issues (16 of 17 projects)
- Encouraging social dialogue between unions, employers, and partner countries’ governments (10 of 17 projects)
- Assisting partner countries with the implementation of legislative or policy changes to better reflect international labour rights and principles (four of 17 projects)
- Eleven projects were completed as of December 2016. All 11 delivered partially or fully on their intended results, meeting the program’s definition of success (85% of project objectives met in full or in part).
Next steps
Additional findings are forthcoming in the final report for the evaluation of the International Trade and Labour’s parent program, bilateral and regional labour affairs.
The Evaluation of the Labour Funding Program: International Trade and Labour Stream and Occupational Health and Safety Stream, Interim Report is available now.