Oxfam Canada highlights top priorities as Parliament begins Fall sitting

As MPs and Senators return to Ottawa to begin the Fall sitting of Parliament, Oxfam Canada recognizes the complex challenges the federal government faces. These include geopolitical and trade tensions at our own border and beyond, the rising cost of living, climate chaos, growing authoritarianism, and the rapid evolution of powerful emerging technologies like A.I. People everywhere are facing insecurity, and a record number of people require humanitarian assistance.   

The scale, intersections, and impacts of these challenges could have devastating impacts for billions, but at the same time present opportunity to advance positive change. Oxfam Canada is keen to work alongside the government and contribute our broad expertise in economic security, climate change, gender equality, and humanitarian response to address these challenges in a way that ensures security for all, and that will strengthen Canada’s global influence and economic resilience. 

Over the course of the 45th Parliament, Oxfam will be focused on the following:  

1. Ensure that Canada stays the course on Official Development Assistance (ODA): As leading donor states pull back on commitments to ODA, there is a generational opportunity for middle powers like Canada to take a leadership role globally by making a significant new investment in ODA. Leading on this front will help Canada advance new partnerships and alliances, further enabling our economic pivot from the U.S. In any new ODA investment, the government should continue to prioritize gender equality and invest in women’s leadership, economic security, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and 2SLGBTQI rights.
2. Continue to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advancing measures to protect civilians: Oxfam Canada will continue to respond to the crisis in Gaza and will work with government to ensure that humanitarian access to Gaza is maintained and expanded, that civilians are protected, and that international law is upheld. We will also continue to call on the government to end all weapons transfers to Israel and close all loopholes which allow the transit of weapons through the United States.
3. Address the global climate crisis through a renewed climate finance commitment: Climate change is a defining challenge of our time, with profound implications for peace, migration, health, and economic development. To curb the impacts of climate change on countries most impacted, states like Canada provide climate financing to aid in the implementation of measures that help affected communities adapt, mitigate impacts, and recover when disasters strike. Canada’s current climate finance is sunsetting this year. Oxfam Canada and our partners are working to ensure that the government makes an ambitious new climate finance commitment and delivers that commitment as grants – not loans – so as not to further indebt states who bear little responsibility for the climate crisis but feel the impacts the most.
4. Advance gender equality and women’s economic security: Women are a key driver of economic growth, yet they are held back by a range of barriers. An ambitious economic investment agenda must advance gender equality and invest in sectors dominated by women to increase their economic power. This should include investments in women’s and gender justice organizations, who provide critical services and knowledge to tackle barriers to women’s economic security.  
5. Advancing fairness and increasing government revenues by ensuring that the richest pay their fair share: As the government moves to deliver on its commitment to spend less and invest more, there is opportunity to boldly reimagine elements of our tax system wherein we can simultaneously enhance fairness and raise additional revenues – revenues which can be reinvested to support our social safety net and other government priorities. This includes advancing a progressive wealth tax on Canadians earning more than $10M annually, and putting in place a windfall tax on oil and gas companies who are earning record profits, while simultaneously wreaking havoc on the climate.
6. Reimagining our social safety net: Canada’s social safety net is not up to par, with too many people already falling through the cracks, especially those with intersecting vulnerabilities. There’s no time to tinker at the edges. If Canada wants to become the strongest economy in the G7, bold reforms are needed. Cost of living pressures are pervasive, turbulence from tariffs continues, and labour market disruption will increase as technologies evolve. While it’s necessary to improve existing benefits like Employment Insurance, it’s time to also begin laying the groundwork for guaranteed income. This can start immediately with the convening of an expert panel charged with making recommendations on a pathway towards guaranteed income in the Canadian context. 

While the challenges in front of us are incredible, with the necessary energy and ambition there is plenty of positive change to be advanced. Oxfam Canada looks forward to working with our colleagues across all parties and groups in the House of Commons and Senate, in the Ministry, and throughout the bureaucracy to operationalize the measures outlined here – each of which are intended to advance a more just and equitable society and economy.  

Contact Information

Laveza Khan |  | 613-240-4157