Through documents tabled in the House of Commons on Jan. 30, federal departments revealed how the World Economic Forum spends the over $17.4 million in Canadian taxpayer money it has received in recent years.
The Canadian investments in World Economic Forum (WEF) projects were in the fields of facilitating global trade, reducing plastic waste, producing a report on the environment, and supporting research on water ecosystems.
Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans responded to questions posed by Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis in an order paper filed last December.
Lewis asked for specific details about the agreements funding the WEF and how the accounting is being done.
The Conservative MP, who serves as her party’s critic for infrastructure and communities, had previously made information public on the formal ties between the federal government and the WEF through the same process.
GAC spent the most on the WEF among the three departments.
It says it disbursed a total of $2 million in 2021 and 2022 for the WEF’s Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF), as part of a 2015–2024 grant agreement with a total value of $10 million.
The GATF public-private partnership seeks to “support sustainable economic growth” and expedite the trade of goods, according to GAC, which is a member of the steering group with other donor countries the United States and Germany.
The money given by GAC is for the payment of salaries and benefits, in-country grants, travel, events, and supplies.
GAC says the WEF provides reports on annual activities and key performance indicators.
The department also allotted a total of $2.6 million in 2021 and 2022 to the WEF’s Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), also a public-private project.
The project seeks to “address the prevalence of unrecycled single-use plastics and to provide a pathway for greater economic benefits for local populations through the development of a circular economy for plastics.”
The total contribution agreement signed by GAC for this project is $5.9 million, covering March 2020 to March 2023.
Half a Million for Report
Environment Canada did not fund a WEF program but rather provided $500,000 for the production of its “New Nature Economy Report.”“This report highlighted why nature-related risks matter for business and made the case for business to regularly identify, assess and disclose nature risks as part of Enterprise Risk Management and environmental, social and governance practices, as is now routinely the case for climate risks,” says the department.
Canada’s contribution represented 12 percent of the total contributions to the WEF report.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada provided just under $1 million to the WEF under an agreement spanning April 2019 to March 2021.
The contribution was made to “support organizations associated with research, development, management and promotion of fisheries and oceans-related issues,” but the department did not indicate which WEF program it supported.
Eligible costs included salaries, rental of office space, equipment purchase, travel, professional services, and conferences.
The WEF is an organization that brings together leaders in fields such as politics, industry, and activism, and promotes policies and projects to further a global agenda.
