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The Liberal government is launching an international assistance policy that aims to position Canada as a gender equality leader on the world stage.

The plan, called the Feminist International Assistance Policy, will invest $150 million over five years to help local organizations in developing countries that are working to promote women's rights. The money is part of the existing budget.

By 2021-22, at least 80 per centof Canada's international assistance will target the advancement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Bibeau said the government's vision is to reduce global poverty through the lens of measures that empower women and girls.

"We will not break the back of poverty if we leave half of humanity at the sidelines," she said during a news conference in Ottawa. "We will not break the vicious cycle of poverty and violence without stepping up efforts to give women and girls a voice, and the opportunities to choose their own future and fully contribute to their community."

The plan will promote better education and training, social inclusion, access to financing, inclusive governance, improved nutrition, and access to contraception and safe abortion for women and girls.

Bibeau said that right now, too many countries have laws and cultural practices that discriminate against women.

The policy was first announced by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday during her foreign policy speech in the House of Commons.

It comes after a review that included 300 consultations in 65 countries.

The government's aid plan will direct at least 50 per centof bilateral assistance to sub-Saharan African countries.

Friday's announcement was welcomed by several development organizations.

In a statement, Michael Messenger, President and CEO of World Vision Canada called it an "ambitious new agenda."

"It will help make the world a better place to live for everyone, everywhere," he said."Empowering women and girls is in Canada's best interest, and ensuring equal opportunity is much more than a bold commitment to feminism. It's about basic human rights and basic common sense."

The MATCH International Women's Fund and Nobel Women's Initiative said the investment in women's organizations makes Canada a global leader in empowering women.

"This is a game changer," Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee said in a news release. "From Syria and Yemen to Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, it is the grassroots women's groups that are doing the heavy lifting to help communities respond to crisis, build peace and bring about gender equality."

ButONE Campaign, the international organization co-founded by U2 lead singer Bono, expressed disappointment the policy shift did not come with more money attached.

Stuart Hickox, ONE's Canada director, praised the commitment to gender equality but said the policy moves money around without increasing the overall spending envelope.

"The juxtaposition of a recommended 70-per-cent increase to [Canada's] defence budget with a recommended 0 per cent increase to the development budget is simply stunning," Hickox said in a statement.

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Liberals launch feminist-focused foreign aid policy - CBC.ca

Conservative Review

Things I learned from liberals Conservative Review Liberals opened up a can of worms with their boycott tactics that they are probably starting to regret. By teaching conservatives how to marshal small groups of Twitter users into fighters fighting above their weight class, we have collected a number ...

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Things I learned from liberals - Conservative Review

When, on April 18, British Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap election for June 8, the expectation was that she would romp to victory over the opposition. Crush the saboteurs! cried the right-wing Daily Mail. Whether it was called to strengthen her Brexit negotiating position with the European Unionand members of her own Conservative Party, or to bolt the armor of popularityto her image, May and almost every political observer believed that June 8 would end with a massive Conservative majority over the Labour Party and its supposedly hapless leader Jeremy Corbyn.

But events have played out differently. A 16 percent lead for the Conservatives on April 18 has shrunk to 7 percent in less than two months.Because of the strength of third parties in Britain, Corbyn only needs to overperform by a few percentage points(an average polling error, to borrow from Nate Silver) for May to fallshort of a majority. Regardless, the dream of the Conservative landslide looks to be dead and the circumstances of Laboursrecovery can bea lesson for progressives elsewhere, including the United States.

Most of Labours recovery has taken place since the start of May (the month, not the politician), coinciding with two developments. Britains general election broadcast rules, which requireTV outlets to maintain due impartiality during campaigning, kicked in early May. From whenCorbyn became party leader until very recently, the vast majority of major media outlets including Labour-leaning publications such as the Guardian were critical of him. During the campaign though, while newspapers and tabloids have remained partisan, the broadcast rules have freed Corbyn to make his case to the publicdirectly on television. Surprise, surprise: Corbyn has performed well in pre-election appearances, while May (the politician, not the month) has refused to debate other candidates directly and has looked shaky answering questions.

Were unlikely to see similarly restrictive broadcast rules in the United States, but progressives here can learn from the second development: the release of the parties manifestos the equivalent of a party platform in the United States, albeitcarrying somewhat more weight. The Conservative manifestobroadly avoided specifics, including how muchproposals on housing and other issues would cost. Its imprecision magnified Mays struggles in talking with voters. Nor did it help May that the program originally included cuts to in-home care for the elderly, a key Conservative constituency. May reversed on that idea, but not before damage was done.

On the other side, for years, Labour manifestos were incrementalist, offering small changes and tweaks to existing programs. The 2017 version is far bolder: free university tuition, more money for the National Health Services and other major initiatives,paid for by taxes on corporations and the wealthiest. The platforms clarity and detail contrasted favorably with the Conservatives vagueness, while energizing the Labour base, especially young voters. (Of course, getting them to vote is another matter.) Corbyns Labour recognizes that when votersthink the system is broken and major change is required, parties need to go big with their ideas. If your opponent is stumbling, as May has, newly persuadable voters want solutions not pandering.

To be clear, Labour policies cannot be replicated unchanged in the United States.Corbyns Labour is much further left-of-center than even the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party. But as liberals and progressives in the United Statesdebate what kind of policies to offer in 2018 and beyond, Corbyns recovery and Mays difficulties again show that boldness doesnt backfire; voters reward it.

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What American liberals can learn from Jeremy Corbyn's campaign - Washington Post (blog)

VICTORIA - Politicians have been called back to the British Columbia legislature on June 22, setting the stage for a possible change in the provincial government.

Premier Christy Clark has said she expects to lose a confidence vote in the house after the New Democrats and Greens reached an agreement to allow the NDP to form a minority government.

No party won a majority of seats in a provincial election last month.

The Liberals won 43 seats in the 87-seat legislature, with the NDP winning 41 seats and the Greens three.

The results left Clark with a tenuous grip on power and spelled the likely end for the Liberals' 16 years in government.

Government House Leader Mike de Jong issued a statement Wednesday about the recall of the legislature, saying the first order of business will be to elect a Speaker.

"After which, and in the aftermath of a very close election, the government will seek to determine if it continues to enjoy the confidence of the house."

Green Leader Andrew Weaver welcomed the decision to recall the house.

"I'm glad that the premier has finally decided to recall the legislature," Weaver said in a statement. "In the weeks since the election, it has been encouraging to see all three parties agree that British Columbians want us to work together."

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BC legislature returns June 22, stage set for confidence vote on Liberals - BNN

Ottawa Citizen

Ontario's Liberals 'stealing' NDP's ideas again, says Horwath Ottawa Citizen TORONTO Ontario's Liberals tend to steal her party's ideas, and with one year left until the next provincial election, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says they're doing it again. In the 2014 election, Horwath faced criticism from her party's rank and file ... Thomson: It's been 100 years since Alberta Liberals had much to cheer aboutCalgary Herald BC election: little immediate impact, but plenty of future political risk for federal Liberals, say pollstersHill Times (subscription) all 5 news articles »

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Ontario's Liberals 'stealing' NDP's ideas again, says Horwath - Ottawa Citizen