In 2017, Canada officially committed to a feminist foreign policy. That commitment made sense, and still does, as women and girls worldwide continue to suffer disproportionately from discrimination, poverty, gender-based violence, and a wide range of human rights abuses. As then-Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland stated: “This is a matter of basic justice and also basic economics. We know that empowering women, overseas and here at home, makes families and countries more prosperous.”
There is no universally accepted definition of a “feminist foreign policy” (FFP). But a basic tenet of FFPs is that they are more than an obligation; they are an opportunity to stimulate progress for everyone, as the status of women and progress in other areas are directly related. Former US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer, noted: “There is a wealth of research and data to show that investing in women is critical for economic, social and political progress. A foreign policy that puts women at its core – whether explicitly called feminist or not – helps tackle the most pressing global challenges.”
The Pearson Centre believes in a rights-based approach to foreign policy; such an approach must necessarily include attention to women’s rights. That does not mean we must ignore or set aside other foreign policy goals. On the contrary, other policy and development objectives are more likely to be met if women’s rights are prioritized. Moreover, if Canada failed to focus on protecting and uplifting women and girls through our foreign policy, we would be hard pressed to meet our international obligations in relation to the status of women, such as those spelled out in the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
When women fully participate in peace processes, agreements are 20% more likely to last at least two years and 35% more likely to last 35 years. Women bring a different perspective to peace negotiations – they broaden and deepen discussion on peace and security beyond the interests of combatting parties thus increasing community buy-in and helping to address the root causes of conflict.
A recent report from the U.N. Secretary General’s 2025 Report on Women, Peace and Security reported that the world faces record conflict levels, increasing violence against women and their exclusion from peace processes. The report also noted there is a backlash to women’s rights and resources for gender quality are being diverted. The one bright spot in the report is the number of women in peace keeping, no doubt in part due to the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations (The Elsie Initiative)
The Elsie Initiative was founded by Canada in 2017 with the goal of increasing the meaningful participation of uniformed women in these operations. It is named after Elsie MacGill, the “Queen of the Hurricanes”, an aeronautical engineer who oversaw the manufacture of the Hawker Hurricane during the Second World War.
The Elsie Initiative has been widely seen as a success, both in augmenting the number of uniformed women involved in peacekeeping, in rethinking security plans, and in finding practical solutions that make women safer. In her previous role as Member of Parliament, The Pearson Centre’s CEO Pam Damoff saw first-hand the impact of the Elsie Initiative during the UN Human Rights Council in Ghana. In response to her questions in Parliament in 2024, Canadian Major-General Greg Smith confirmed Damoff’s impressions, saying: “Rather than a bunch of people who look like me in big uniforms, who look scary, etc., we have women who can be approached. That’s a very successful model. /…/ Allowing more women to participate in peacekeeping is a better model for successful peacekeeping.” The number of countries who have embraced The Elsie Initiative is impressive, leading to more women taking part in peacekeeping operations and better outcomes. Canada’s commitment to The Elsie Initiative sunsets in two years, and it is our hope that we continue to provide funding to this important program. More information on The Elsie Initiative can be found here: Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations
While the Elsie Initiative’s focus on peace operations is of special relevance to The Pearson Centre, as former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson played a foundational role in creating the first-ever UN peacekeeping operation, the need for a feminist foreign policy goes further.
Canada created the Women’s Voice and Leadership Program in 2017 with the knowledge that we could meet the needs of local women’s rights organizations around the world helping them to advance gender equality and empower women and girls in all their diversity, while promoting and protecting their human rights. This has been another successful program to empower local organizations to make change in their communities.
Embracing such policies means rejecting a status quo in which women and girls continue to suffer egregious human rights violations. Canada has been a leader in the world with its feminist foreign policy, and it is more important than ever, as other countries withdraw from this approach, that we continue to be world leaders.
As we commemorate International Human Rights Day today on December 10th, Canada would do well to reiterate its commitment to that approach.
Pam Damoff, CEO, Pearson Centre
Sofia Robinson, Research Assistant, Pearson Centre