Effectively Engaging Diasporas Under the New Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development

CIGI Junior Fellows Policy Brief No. 6

Manuelle Chanoine Meredith Giel Tâmara Simão
Series: CIGI Junior Fellows Policy Brief Series
July 16, 2013

On March 21, 2013, it was announced that the Canadian International Development Agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade would merge into a new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). The second Jr. Fellows policy brief of 2013 explores the new opportunities that will emerge for a more coherent approach to diasporic engagement initiatives that combine the existing policy directions under a single umbrella. Authors Manuelle Chanoine, Meredith Giel and Tâmara Simão offer recommendations to DFATD about how to work with diasporas in Canada to facilitate and improve engagement with their respective sending regions. They note that engagement should vary according to different levels of formal and informal government diasporic engagement, ranging from countries with weak government engagement to those with strong engagement.

Part of Series

CIGI Junior Fellows Policy Brief Series

The CIGI Junior Fellows program at the Balsillie School of International Affairs provides masters level students with mentorship opportunities from senior scholars and policy makers. Working under the direction of a project leader, each junior fellow conducts research in one of CIGI’s program areas. This series presents those policy briefs that met CIGI’s publications standards.

About the Authors

Manuelle Chanoine

Manuelle Chanoine is a candidate for the University of Waterloo M.A. in global governance based at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA), as well as a CIGI junior fellow. She completed her B.A. at the University of Victoria in political science with a minor in environmental studies. Her research centres in the field of development and the environment, and she is currently researching alternatives to economic growth and the implications of these alternatives for development strategies in the Global South.

Meredith Giel

Meredith Giel is a candidate for the Wilfrid Laurier University master’s program in international public policy based at the BSIA, and is a CIGI junior fellow.

Tâmara Simão

Tâmara Simão is a candidate for the University of Waterloo M.A. in global governance based at the BSIA, and is also a CIGI junior fellow. She completed her B.A. at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in International Relations. Her research centres on international development and emerging economies. 

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