A federal climate finance program that spent $6.2 billion overseas has been blasted in an internal government report as little more than a “tick box exercise” designed to meet spending targets rather than achieve measurable results.Blacklock's Reporter says the Department of Foreign Affairs evaluation found bureaucrats were pressured to move money quickly to satisfy budget commitments, especially after then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dramatically expanded the Climate Financing Program during his failed 2020 bid for a United Nations Security Council seat.“Departmental staff identified fulfilling an increasing number of budget targets challenging within a commitment time frame as it impacted project selection and made the process feel like a ‘tick box’ exercise,” said the report, Evaluation Of Global Affairs Canada’s Climate Finance Programming. Staff “questioned whether disbursements prioritized meeting targets without knowing what results were achieved.”Cabinet pledged $9.15 billion to the program, which spent $2.19 billion in Asia and $1.96 billion in Africa, with the rest scattered among other regions. .The initiative was meant to help poorer countries adapt to climate change and reduce emissions, but evaluators said Ottawa failed to define what success looked like.“In applying the broad climate financing objectives, the Government of Canada provided limited guidance to define Canada’s ambition in terms of sought results,” the report said. “There was little focus on defining commitment-level results.”The number of staff assigned to the program ballooned from four to 30 employees, yet the department admitted there was almost no follow-up to verify what the spending accomplished. “Evaluation found several points of misalignment between Canada’s broad climate finance objectives, the structure of the commitment funding profile and budget targets,” the report noted, citing a “lack of prioritization” and “definition of success.”Trudeau justified the massive international spending at the time as proof of Canada’s global leadership. .“Climate action can’t wait,” he said, arguing the initiative showed Canada was serious about fighting global warming. Then-finance minister Bill Morneau said the effort was meant to “send the message that Canada is back.”The climate financing expansion coincided with Canada’s high-profile campaign for a temporary UN Security Council seat, a bid that ended in failure when Canada finished behind Norway and Ireland. Foreign Affairs records show cabinet ministers spent months lobbying other nations, with more than 100 meetings and phone calls between late 2019 and mid-2020 promoting Canada’s candidacy.Despite the billions spent and years of political effort, the internal report concludes Ottawa’s climate program largely amounted to paperwork and political posturing — a global exercise in appearances over accountability.
