Summative Evaluation: International Trade and Labour Program, January 2011

List of Abbreviations

• CIDA - Canadian International Development Agency
• DFAIT - Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
• HRSDC - Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
• IACML - Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour
• IILAD - International and Intergovernmental Labour Affairs Directorate
• ILO - International Labour Organization
• IPEC - International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour of the ILO
• ITLP - International Trade and Labour Program
• LCA - Labour Cooperation Agreement
• OAS - Organization of American States
• OECD - Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
• OSH - Occupational Safety and Health
• NAALC - North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation
• RIAL - Inter-American Network for Labour Administration (la Red Interamericana para la Administración Laboral)

Executive Summary

This report presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations for the summative evaluation of the International Trade and Labour Program. The evaluation was conducted between June 2009 and March 2010 and covers the period from the program's inception in 2004-2005 to 2008-2009.

Overview of the ITLP

The International Trade and Labour Program is a mechanism for the Government of Canada to meet its commitment to address the labour dimensions of international trade and economic integration. It seeks to promote respect for international labour standards; a more equitable distribution of the benefits of globalization; participation in international efforts to improve respect for labour rights; and, social dialogue on international labour issues.

The program has three funding streams: Grants for Technical Assistance and Foreign-Based Cooperative Activities; Grants for International Labour Institutions in which Canada Participates; and Contributions for Consultation and Partnership-Building and Canadian-Based Cooperative Activities. The first two streams support the Labour Cooperation Agreement (LCA) model which is Canada's approach to trade and labour. Under this approach, Canada signs Labour Cooperation Agreements (LCAs) with trade partner countries that aim to improve working conditions and living standards in the signatory countries and to support and protect basic workers' rights. These agreements are parallel to Free Trade Agreements.

Stream 1. Grants for Technical Assistance and Foreign-Based Cooperative Activities. With this grant, Canada distributes funds to international and domestic organizations to support the capacity of trade partner countries so they can meet their obligations under a given labour cooperation agreement (LCA). It also funds foreign based cooperative activities, usually under the LCAs but also independently of LCAs, and measures identified by global or regional consensus through the International Labour Organization (ILO), or other institutions, as useful or important to addressing the social dimension of globalization. Foreign-based cooperative activities are activities that are mutually agreed on by Canada and the partner country.

Stream 2. Grants for International Labour Institutions in which Canada Participates. This grant is primarily used to meet Canada's international obligation to fund the Secretariat of the Commission for Labour Cooperation established under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC) between Canada, the United States and Mexico. The Secretariat supports the NAALC Commission Council of Ministers and is devoted to advancing labour rights and labour standards as an important part of expanding trade relations. Other international labour institutions, such as the Organization of American States (OAS), are also eligible for and have received funding under this stream.

Stream 3. Contributions for Consultation and Partnership-Building and Canadian-Based Cooperative Activities. The objective of this contribution is to facilitate dialogue and greater consensus building with respect to the labour dimensions of globalization among Canadian employer and workers organizations and the government. Eligible recipients also include NGOs and academics. Canadian-based cooperative activities related to Canada's international commitments are also supported.

The program was allocated $2.2 million per year between the years 2004-05 and 2009-10. Funding for Stream 3 was removed in Budget 2010 and the program budget was reduced to $1.9 million in 2010-11.

Evaluation Scope and Methodology

The strategy for the evaluation considered two key factors: (1) a formative evaluation of the ITLP was conducted in 2007 with an emphasis on program design, delivery and early successes and (2) the evaluation effort needed to be commensurate with the size of the program to ensure an efficient use of evaluation resources.

Methodological Limitations

In view of the relatively short period of operation of the ITLP and extent of resources allocated to it, an assessment of the achievement of ultimate (long-term) outcomes was excluded from the scope of this evaluation as the outcomes were not expected to have occurred by the time of the evaluation.

In addition, the evaluation did not attempt to measure what would have occurred had the intervention not taken place and attribute impacts to the ITLP. Considerable resources and effort would have been required to collect data for a comparison group to study the incremental impacts of the program. Even if such a comparable group was identified there would be no guarantee that it would sufficiently control for the numerous external factors that can influence the program's expected outcomes. As a result, the evaluation did not measure the program's achievement of its expected outcomes but instead focused on whether the ITLP contributed towards achieving the outcomes.

The objectives of this summative evaluation were to determine the continued relevance of the ITLP, its performance (in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and economy) and the progress made in addressing the recommendations from the formative evaluation.

The assessment of program relevance covered three issues:

Issue 1: Continued need for the program.
Issue 2: Alignment of the program with Government priorities.
Issue 3: Alignment with the Federal role and responsibilities.

The assessment of program performance involved two issues:

Issue 4: Progress towards the achievement of expected outcomes (in particular the direct outcomes, and to the extent possible, intermediate outcomes).
Issue 5: Demonstration of efficiency and economy.

The follow-up assessment examined:

Issue 6: The progress in implementing the action plan resulting from the formative evaluation recommendations.

Four data collection methods were used for this evaluation: a document review; a file and administrative data review; key informant interviews; and expert interviews. This report summarizes the findings for these lines of evidence.

Key Findings

Performance

The majority of ITLP-funded activities were executed as planned although projects funded by the Technical Assistance and Foreign-based Cooperative Activities grants (Stream 1) were less able to fully implement all of their activities. This is partly due to issues associated with conducting projects in partner countries such as: the lack of computer equipment in partner country ministries; the extended length of time needed to get consensus among stakeholders or to get official approval by partner governments; changes in governments of trade partner countries; and, social and political unrest. Where the funding recipients were more established international organizations, such as the ILO, this aided the implementation and progress of project activities due to the organization's positive reputation and access to other resources. In one case, a recipient organization had limited institutional funds for operational costs and a large percentage of the project funding went to staff salaries at the expense of planned project activities.

Funded activities made progress towards achieving the ITLP's expected direct outcome of trade partner countries having the capacity to address international labour issues. For instance, as a result of a legislative review, three countries updated and modernized their labour legislation to better reflect fundamental principles and rights at work as well as relevant ILO conventions. In another project, four countries officially approved lists of hazardous work for child labour and in a third project a country reformed its regulations regarding their alternative dispute resolution system.

Training and tools were also provided to members of the judicial system and labour officials or inspectors in partner countries. For instance, labour officials and inspectors received training on current labour standards, training for a database to record and follow-up on child domestic labourers, workshops on challenges faced by labour inspectors with regards to child labour and strategies to overcome these challenges, as well as training on how to use occupational health and safety tools in the performance of their inspector functions. Tools included: modernized computer programs to organize inspectorate information, updated versions of the existing labour standards and manuals on an expanded framework for a trade partner country's inspectorates.

Some projects produced tripartite consensus, such as the hazardous work lists for children or action plans to update labour legislation that were officially approved by partner governments, and representatives of workers and employers. Other projects resulted in agreements signed between government and labour organizations or government and employer organizations in different countries.

In general, key informants perceived that ITLP funded projects had positive results on the capacity of trade partner countries to address targeted labour issues. Most representatives in trade partner countries were not satisfied with the level of change although they were still able to provide examples of how ITLP projects had provided useful tools. They mentioned that the ITLP has contributed to the dissemination of standards and occupational safety and health (OSH) best practices and has increased the opportunity to exchange ideas on relevant labour legislation issues. The material compiled (law, regulations and policies) are still accessible as a working tool to adjust and improve local and national laws. The ITLP also contributed to the implementation of tools such as a system of labour inspection, which was seen as an important development. A number of key informants cautioned that it is difficult to attribute the progress made in capacity building directly to ITLP and that it is too early to measure progress since the program began in 2004 and change in the area of international development takes time. Similarly, it was not possible to measure the program's contribution towards trade partner countries addressing labour issues (an expected intermediate outcome). Project reports did, however, cite some positive examples of trade partner governments acknowledging and beginning to address some labour issues.

Through its grants for International Labour Institutions in which Canada Participates (Stream 2), Canada complied with its treaty obligation under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC) to provide annual grants to the Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation.

The intermediate expected outcome for Stream 2 was that 'international labour institutions meet their mandates'. Forty-five percent of interviewees were very (or mostly) satisfied with the results achieved by international institutions. Eighteen percent were somewhat satisfied, while 36%, including all the stakeholders not directly affiliated with the ITLP, were not at all satisfied. Interviewees expressed positive views on the performance of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour (IACML) of the OAS but were less satisfied with how the NAALC Secretariat was meeting its mandate. Concerns were voiced about the efficiency, the leadership and productivity of the Secretariat. It should be noted that the ITLP does not directly influence whether the NAALC Secretariat meets its mandate as the ITLP only ensures that the Secretariat receives its annual funding after its work plan and budget has been approved by the NAALC Ministerial Council, which includes the Canadian Labour Minister.

The ITLP's contributions to social partners and civil society under Consultation and Partnership-Building and Canadian-Based Cooperative Activities (Stream 3) increased the capacity of recipient organizations to engage in social dialogue, especially in terms of research produced and networks developed. Key informants noted that the program was successful in providing opportunities for dialogue on international labour issues within constituencies (i.e. within employer groups and within labour groups) and among academics. At the same time, interviewees noted the lack of activities bringing government and representatives of labour and employers together to discuss and develop common interests on international labour issues. It was felt that more effort is needed to engage government, labour and employers to address common interests.

Progress in Implementing Recommendations of the ITLP Formative Evaluation

Progress has been made by the program in addressing the recommendations from the ITLP formative evaluation. The program has changed the means of reimbursing non-discretionary expenses for worker and employer representatives to attend the ILO's annual International Labour Conference and has reviewed the appropriateness of using grants versus contributions as funding mechanisms for the ITLP. The Directorate revised the ITLP logic model and evaluation framework so that the expected outcomes are more realistic and measurable. Further work is required to ensure that ultimate and intermediate outcomes are achievable within the expected timeframe of the ITLP. The Directorate has created a new project database and has plans to implement the database throughout their Directorate, write guidelines for the database and have program officers review, update and repopulate it.

The formative evaluation recommended that the program review the ITLP application and selection process. An HRSDC-CIDA administrative arrangement led to the creation of the International Program for Professional Labour Administration. Under this agreement, the projects funded by Stream 1, representing the Labour Program's in-cash contribution, were jointly agreed upon by the two departments. An application and selection process was then unnecessary during the period following the formative evaluation.

Recommendations from the ITLP Summative Evaluation

1) Review the administration of ITLP with the aim of strengthening project governance and effectiveness. Program management should consider more extensive cooperation and coordination with established national and international institutions in order to maximize program effectiveness.

2) Focus social dialogue funding on projects that contribute to tripartite dialogue. Should the Labour program fund tripartite social dialogue, it should ensure that this funding supports discussions that bring together representatives of workers, employers and government.

3) Appropriately train HRSDC staff and provide tools to beneficiaries for the purposes of improving performance measurement and monitoring. This includes training staff on how to determine appropriate outcome measurements and providing beneficiaries with tools to report against objectives. Recognizing the inherent challenges in attributing program results to country-level impacts, the Program should identify and track, if possible, a series of universal and/or country-specific key indicators in relation to countries that benefit from funded projects as well as potential beneficiary countries with the goal of, at a minimum, understanding if the labour situations are improving over time.

Management Response

Recommendations

1) Review the administration of ITLP with the aim of strengthening project governance and effectiveness. Program management should consider more extensive cooperation and coordination with established national and international institutions in order to maximize program effectiveness.

The Labour Program agrees with this recommendation, and will conduct country-specific analyses of the policies and strategies adopted and implemented by leading national and international institutions in order to maximize the reach of its own programming through increased cooperation and coordination with proven, credible and effective institutions.

In order to ensure that recipient institutions have appropriate capacity, the Labour Program has taken steps to maximize program effectiveness of the administration of ITLP. Program management has reinforced its project selection process by introducing a new mandatory due diligence exercise that seeks corroboration from other stakeholders as to the performance of the proposed recipient, both at the administrative/financial level and in achieving results in an efficient manner.

Actions planned:

In terms of other activities toward strengthening project governance and effectiveness:

• The International and Intergovernmental Labour Affairs Directorate (IILAD) will align the administration of the ITLP with portfolio-wide principles and practices (as appropriate) emerging from the ongoing work to modernize the administration of grants and contributions across the HRSD portfolio.
• In addition, the Labour Program is considering the introduction of a new, integrated set of terms and conditions for its grant and contribution programs and centralizing the administrative functions for all Labour grant and contribution programs, which is expected to achieve greater efficiencies and consistency in their program policy and administration.

2) Focus social dialogue funding on projects that contribute to tripartite dialogue. Should the Labour Program fund tripartite social dialogue, it should ensure that this funding supports discussions that bring together representatives of workers, employers and government.

The Labour Program agrees with this recommendation.

Should the Labour Program fund tripartite discussions (i.e., employers, employees and government) the focus will be on discussions that contribute to addressing labour aspects of globalization, thereby meeting Canada's commitment to international efforts in support of social dialogue. Social dialogue is critical to good policy-making and implementation and helps foster support for Canada's international trade and labour agendas.

3) Appropriately train HRSDC staff and provide tools to beneficiaries for the purposes of improving performance measurement and monitoring. This includes training staff on how to determine appropriate outcome measurements and providing beneficiaries with tools to report against objectives. Recognizing the inherent challenges in attributing program results to country-level impacts, the Program should identify and track, if possible, a series of universal and/or country-specific key indicators in relation to countries that benefit from funded projects as well as potential beneficiary countries with the goal of, at a minimum, understanding if the labour situations are improving over time.

The Labour Program agrees with this recommendation, and IILAD will seek training opportunities for Labour Program grants and contributions officers in the context of the Portfolio-Wide Training Strategy currently under development and expected to be implemented in Spring 2011.

Actions planned:

• The Labour Program is participating in various committees and working groups established by the portfolio's Centre of Expertise to develop the Portfolio-Wide Training Strategy. A list of program staff and managers who require training in relation to grants and contributions has been established and key practitioners will participate in training as it is rolled out across the department. The IILAD will also ensure that program staff are offered training specifically related to determining, measuring, tracking and reporting on performance. The first in a series of workshops is planned for March or April 2011.
• The updated Performance Measurement Strategy will be shared systematically with recipients. ITLP officers will interact with recipients to determine outcome measurements that will allow the program to report against objectives in a participatory manner and according to the Directive on Transfer Payments.
• The Labour Program will identify standard qualitative and quantitative indicators that can be used to measure progress toward results at the recipient country level.

1. Introduction

This report presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the summative evaluation of the International Trade and Labour Program (ITLP). The evaluation was conducted between June 2009 and March 2010. The report is divided into five sections. The first section, the introduction section, presents an overview of the ITLP, program reach and the evaluation strategy. The second section outlines the methodology for the evaluation, including limitations. The next section (section 3) presents evaluation findings organized by issues and questions. Sections four and five outline key conclusions and recommendations respectively.

1.1 Overview of the ITLP

The International Trade and Labour Program is a mechanism for the Government of Canada to meet its commitment to address the labour dimensions of international trade and economic integration. It is housed within the International and Intergovernmental Labour Affairs Directorate (IILAD) in the Labour Program of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

The ITLP aims to promote good governance and the rule of law, respect for international labour standards, ^{Footnote 1} a more equitable distribution of the benefits of globalization, and participation in international efforts to improve respect for labour rights. The ITLP is also designed to promote social dialogue. Social dialogue includes negotiation, consultation, or the exchange of information on international trade-related labour issues among representatives of governments and employer and worker organizations. ^{Footnote 2}

The program encompasses three funding streams: grants for Technical Assistance and Foreign-Based Cooperative Activities; grants for International Labour Institutions in which Canada Participates; and contributions for Consultation and Partnership Building and Canadian-Based Cooperative Activities. The first two components support the Labour Cooperation Agreement (LCA) model which is Canada's approach to trade and labour. Under this approach, Canada signs Labour Cooperation Agreements (LCAs) with trade partner countries that aim to improve working conditions and living standards in the signatory countries and to support and protect basic workers' rights. These agreements are parallel to Free Trade Agreements.

(Stream 1) Grants for Technical Assistance and Foreign-Based Cooperative Activities

This grants stream provides funds to international and domestic organizations for projects that address the labour dimensions of globalization. Specifically it supports:

• The capacity of partner governments to meet their obligations under labour cooperation agreements (LCAs);
• Foreign-based cooperative activities which are activities that are mutually agreed on by Canada and the partner country, usually under the LCAs but also independently of the LCAs; and
• Canada's other international commitments to address the social dimension of globalization, including any measures that may be identified by global or regional consensus through the International Labour Organization (ILO) or other international institutions.

This grant stream supports technical assistance and foreign-based cooperative activities to facilitate labour cooperation with LCA partners and to improve the capacity of those partner countries to enforce their labour legislation.

The total funding available under this stream is $900,000 per year. ^{Footnote 3}

(Stream 2) Grants for International Labour Institutions in which Canada Participates

This grant is designed primarily to fund Canada's participation in key hemispheric and international labour fora, in particular the Secretariat of the North American Commission for Labor Cooperation under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC). The Secretariat supports the NAALC Commission Council of Ministers and is devoted to advancing labour rights and labour standards as an important part of expanding trade relations. Canada is obligated by treaty to fund the tri-national NAALC Secretariat and this grant is the mechanism used to transfer the yearly payment. In order to receive the funds, an annual work plan and budget is submitted to the Ministerial Council of the NAALC (the Labour Ministers of Canada, Mexico and the United States). The work plan constitutes the Secretariat's application for a grant. Other institutions, such as the International Labour Organization and the Organization of American States (OAS), are also eligible to apply for and have received funding under this stream.

The total funding available under this stream is $1,000,000 per year. ^{Footnote 4}

(Stream 3) Contributions for Consultation and Partnership-Building and Canadian-Based Cooperative Activities

This ITLP contribution stream provides funds for activities that address the labour dimension of globalization by:

• Facilitating dialogue and greater consensus-building on the issue among Canadian employer and worker organizations and the government in order to increase input into, and support for, the Government's international policy agenda; and
• Supporting Canadian-based cooperative activities.

The total funding available under this stream is $300,000 per year. ^{Footnote 5}

The ITLP was originally approved for a five-year period in 2004 and subsequently granted an extension until the end of 2009-10. A further extension was granted for one additional year until March 31, 2011. The program's budget allocation was $2.2 million per year between 2004-05 and 2009-10. Funding for Stream 3 was removed in Budget 2010 and the program budget was reduced to $1.9 million in 2010-11.

ITLP's budget allocation by stream is summarized in Table 1.

• Footnote ¹ from the above table Stream 2 is earmarked for $1,000,000 and allows for exchange rate fluctuations as the grant to the Secretariat of the Commission for Labour Cooperation is made in US dollars and is set currently at $700,000 USD.

A list of the projects funded during the period 2004-2005 to 2009-2010, including the project name, funding period, funding recipient and project objectives, can be found at Annex A.

1.2 Program Reach

The reach of the ITLP is three-fold. First, the program channels Canada's mandatory annual funding to the Secretariat of the North American Commission for Labor Cooperation which is an amount equal to that contributed by the United States and Mexico (Stream 2). The other two streams of the program are aimed at: funding projects that help partner countries with which Canada signs free trade agreements, or those with which Canada is building cooperative relationships on labour matters, to develop their capacity in labour related areas (Stream 1); and, promoting dialogue between government and social partners in Canada on international labour issues (Stream 3). The program theory is illustrated in the ITLP logic model (Figure 1).

1.3 Evaluation Strategy

The ITLP summative evaluation strategy was developed with two key factors in mind:

1. A formative evaluation of the ITLP was conducted in 2007 with the emphasis on program design and delivery as well as early success; and
2. The evaluation effort should be commensurate with the size of the program to ensure an efficient use of evaluation resources.

In accordance with the 2009 Treasury Board of Canada Evaluation Policy and Directive, the objectives of this evaluation were to determine the continued relevance of the ITLP and its performance in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and economy. The Directive on the Evaluation Function specifies that the effectiveness of a program should consider progress towards immediate (or direct), intermediate and ultimate outcomes. For the summative evaluation of the ITLP, the decision was made to study only the direct and, to the extent possible, intermediate outcomes. In view of the relatively short period of operation of the ITLP and extent of resources allocated to it, the achievement of ultimate outcomes was not included in the scope of this evaluation since these outcomes were not expected to have occurred by the time of the evaluation. Also, as is typically the case when an earlier formative evaluation was conducted, this evaluation included an assessment of the actions taken in respect of the formative evaluation recommendations.

The assessment of program relevance covered three issues:

Issue # 1: Continued need for the program.
Issue # 2: Alignment of the program with Government priorities.
Issue # 3: Alignment with the Federal role and responsibilities.

The assessment of program performance involved two issues:

Issue # 4: Progress towards the achievement of expected outcomes (in particular the direct outcomes, and to the extent possible, intermediate outcomes).
Issue # 5: Demonstration of efficiency and economy.

The follow-up assessment examined one issue:

Issue # 6: The progress in implementing the action plan resulting from the formative evaluation recommendations.

2. Methodology

2.2 Data Collection and Analysis

The data collection approach used in this evaluation included a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods. Use of different methods enabled the evaluators to collect different kinds of information to address the evaluation questions and indicators posed in the Evaluation Issues and Questions Matrix. In most cases, more than one data collection method, or line of evidence, was associated with each evaluation question. The following data collection methods were used:

1. Document Review;
2. File and Administrative Data Review;
3. Key Informant Interviews; and
4. Expert Interviews.

Document Review. In the Document Review, over one hundred documents were analysed. These included: government documentation (e.g. the Program Terms and Conditions, Government of Canada's Official Development Assistance Report to Parliament, ITLP implementation plan from mid-term recommendations); documents related to Labour Cooperative Agreements (LCAs); ILO reports related to trade partner countries; websites of funding recipients and other relevant organizations; research reports; and academic literature. Documents were selected based on a search of the relevant literature as well as those identified by departmental officials and key informant interviewees. The document review provided information on the relevance of the ITLP, its performance, and progress in implementing actions in response to the formative evaluation recommendations. A coding structure was used to organize the collected data and allow comparison between documents.

Administrative Files. The ITLP project database, which was built using Microsoft Excel, was analyzed as part of the administrative data and file review. The database contains information about each project, including: start and end date, funding recipient, location of beneficiaries at the country level, financial information, project activities, deliverables, outputs, and a crosswalk of project results to ITLP direct and intermediate program outcomes. The data are both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The database contains records for 34 projects funded by the ITLP since its inception. Three projects included in the database were still on-going at the time of the evaluation field work phase and results were not yet available.

Electronic documents and physical files related to the projects were also reviewed. These consisted mostly of grant and contribution agreements and project evaluation reports. ITLP financial activity from the inception of the program until January 6, 2010 was reviewed in addressing the evaluation questions and indicators regarding the need for the program, its effectiveness, efficiency and economy.

Key Informant Interviews. Forty key informant interviews, involving six distinct groups, were completed. These groups represented the different parties involved in or potentially impacted by the program:

(1) ITLP program management and staff as well as other representatives of the International and Intergovernmental Labour Affairs Directorate (IILAD) (7 interviews);
(2) Representatives of Stream 1 funded organizations (6 interviews);
(3) Representatives from Stream 2 and Stream 3 funded organizations (7 interviews);
(4) Representatives of other federal government departments/agencies such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) and Canadian Embassy and Mission staff in relevant countries (8 interviews);
(5) Representatives of partner countries where ITLP projects have been directed (7 interviews); and
(6) Domestic and international labour affairs stakeholders who were not directly affiliated with the ITLP (5 interviews).

The interview questionnaire included both closed and open-ended questions related to the relevance and performance of the program. For the closed-ended questions, interviewees were given 4-point ordinal scales such as:

1- "Not at all satisfied" or "Not successful"
2- "Somewhat satisfied" or "Slightly successful"
3- "Mostly satisfied" or "Mostly successful"
4- "Very satisfied" or "Very successful"

ITLP staff and management were also questioned about the progress in responding to recommendations from the formative evaluation. Key informants were selected based on their involvement in or knowledge of ITLP projects or activities. Interviews were conducted in English, French or Spanish, depending on the preference of the interviewee.

Expert Interviews. Three experts all academics from Canadian universities, were interviewed with a view towards understanding the international trade and labour context in which ITLP activities occurred, the program's relevance, and, when applicable, its performance. Experts were selected based on their expertise in international labour and trade issues, labour law, core labour standards and/or labour issues in the Americas.

The findings from the multiple lines of evidence were subsequently triangulated to support conclusions and recommendations. Triangulation was done using an Evaluation Results Matrix that summarized the findings from the different data collection methods used against each of the evaluation questions. This approach provided an opportunity for the crosschecking and validating of data from one source with data drawn from the other sources.

To interpret qualitative data, such as from key informant interviews, the evaluators used the following scale.

"All/almost all" Views and opinions of 90% or more of the group
"Large majority" Views and opinions of 75% to less than 90%
"Majority/most" Views and opinions of 51% to less than 75%
"Half" Views and opinions of 50%
"Some" Views and opinions of 25% to 49%
"A few" Views and opinions of at least two key informants, but less than 25%

2.3 Methodological Constraints

Just over one-third (38%) of those key informants interviewed were government of Canada employees. Funding recipients from each of the streams made up 32% of interviewees and 30% were external stakeholders (i.e. representatives of partner countries where ITLP projects were directed and stakeholders not affiliated with the ITLP). Participation from certain groups was lower than expected. All those among the ITLP program staff and representatives of the IILAD who were asked to participate did so, but the involvement of the other groups ranged from 57% to 37%. The lowest response rate was among the representatives of partner countries, these included representatives from Ministries of Labour, employer organizations and employee organizations, where ITLP projects were directed. As a result, the perspectives of the full range of trade partner countries reached by ITLP-funded projects and its stakeholders were not represented. One challenge for recruitment was that some key informants were not available for interviews during the period in which data collection for the evaluation took place. As a strategy to capture the different views of key informant interviewees, attention was paid to the range of responses. This resulted in diverse opinions being reflected in the report.

3. Findings

3.1.1 Continued Need for the Program

Is there a Demonstrated Need for this Program?

The program expended over 95% of its available funds for most years of the program (as shown in Table 2). This indicates that there is a demand among stakeholders for such funding.

• Footnote ^* from the above table Information as of January 5, 2010.

Evidence also supports the continued need to help trade partner countries address international labour issues. All six trade partner countries reviewed (Costa Rica, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Guyana and Suriname) have ratified ILO conventions in the area of freedom of association specifically No. 87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948) and No. 98 (Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949). They have also participated in occupational safety and health (OSH) related programs. Key informants noted that there is variation among these countries in compliance with international labour standards. ^{Footnote 8}

The majority of interviewees who commented on freedom of association perceived large gaps in Guatemala, Guyana, Peru and Suriname in their compliance with international labour standards. A small gap was noted in Chile, while little or no gap was reported in Costa Rica. All key informants reported large gaps in compliance related to OSH labour standards in Guatemala, Guyana, Peru and Suriname. Both Chile and Costa Rica were seen as largely compliant with international standards. One expert commented on the compliance gaps in the countries. He corroborated the responses provided by other key informants, stating that in the areas of freedom of association and OSH, Chile was moving in the right direction, Costa Rica continues to do well, and Peru is improving. In contrast, Guatemala was considered to have large gaps in compliance.

An ILO report notes the challenges of assessing whether the ILO's core Conventions are being applied within countries. Researchers need to consider not only a nation's legal framework but also the practical implementation of the laws and their outcomes. Although there has been increased focus on developing indicators to measure impacts, it is often difficult to obtain the necessary data. The ITLP summative evaluation used the document review, key informant interviews and expert interviews to seek information and perceptions about trade partner countries' compliance with international labour standards. It is important to note that what constitutes a gap in compliance to international core labour standards is not clearly defined and can vary depending on the interpretation of these standards.

The experts agreed with the ITLP program theory that if trade partner countries have the capacity to address labour issues, including LCA obligations, this will contribute to trade partner countries addressing labour issues and ultimately respecting internationally recognized labour principles. One expert stated that the first and foremost problem preventing trade partner countries from respecting internationally recognized labour principles is the lack of capacity including: workable processes, legitimate administrations, and sufficient resources to identify and address problems. All the experts agreed that there is a need to help trade partner countries increase their capacity to address core labour issues, and thus the need for technical assistance funding is ongoing. They highlighted that the political will to use the capacity for this purpose is also necessary for the countries to address labour issues.

Canada's treaty-based obligation to fund the Secretariat of the North American Commission for Labor Cooperation under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC) is ongoing. As a result, the need for the grant for International Labour Institutions in which Canada Participates (Stream 2) continues.

With regard to the contributions for Consultation, Partnership-Building and Canadian-Based Cooperative Activities (Stream 3), a large majority of key informants expressed support for social dialogue on national and international labour issues within the framework of the program. They emphasized that social dialogue is important for reaching consensus and increasing cohesiveness among Canadian labour stakeholders (workers, employers, federal and provincial governments) and that such agreement is needed to administer labour standards.

The promotion of tripartite dialogue as advanced by the ITLP's third stream has been recognized as an appropriate practice for the promotion of labour standards. For example, the ILO, with its unique tripartite structure, positions workers, employers and government as equal partners in the development of its policies and programs. The ILO identifies the need to strengthen social dialogue among the tripartite constituents as one of its four strategic objectives to achieve decent work for all ^{Footnote 9} . The development of technical capacity and knowledge within workers' and employers' organization is seen as an important precursor to their effective participation in social dialogue. ^{Footnote 10} This supports the program theory for Stream 3 which aims to fund projects that increase capacity among labour stakeholders so they can better participate in social dialogue.

3.1.2 Alignment with Government Priorities

Do the ITLP goals and objectives align with HRSDC's and the Government of Canada's mandate, priorities and strategic outcomes?

The Program aligns well with Government priorities. The ITLP acts on the Throne Speech commitment on October 16, 2007 to "strengthen Canada's place in the world". It is aligned with HRSDC's strategic outcome of achieving "safe, fair and productive workplaces and cooperative workplace relations" and it supports the Labour Program's mandate of representing Canada in international organizations dealing with labour issues, and negotiating labour cooperation agreements and cooperative frameworks with free trade partners and emerging economic partners.The ITLP has funded activities in partner countries such as: comparative analysis of legislation, control systems, assistance programs to remove and rehabilitate children involved in the worst forms of child labour, and inspection visits. By funding such projects, key informants state that the ITLP supports the promotion of democracy, good governance, the effective rule of law and proper administration of labour in a country.

The ITLP supports Canada's international trade agenda and helps to ensure that Canadian workers and employers do not have to compete with countries that do not enforce legislation and regulations. International labour standards were motivated, in part, to prevent countries from having a competitive advantage in international markets when labour costs are kept low due to practices such as forced labour, restricting trade unions, setting low minimum wages or avoiding minimum wages completely. ^{Footnote 11} Research has shown that there is a relationship between international labour standards and more equitable labour conditions. For instance, in countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and non-OECD countries, those that ranked higher in freedom of association and collective bargaining were found to have higher wages. ^{Footnote 12}

The ITLP also supports Canada's international development and human rights efforts. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) recognized ITLP-funded projects as contributing to Canada's official development assistance (ODA) in 2008-2009. ^{Footnote 13} In 2009, CIDA combined its funds with those of the ITLP to support the International Program for Professional Labour Administration. This program aims to improve the ability of countries, particularly in the Andean, Caribbean and Central American regions, to protect and respect internationally-recognized labour standards. Through these programs, the ITLP is also designed to promote Canada's values in the Americas. ^{Footnote 14}

The ILO and its international labour standards are also motivated by humanitarian concerns. The ILO has recognized four fundamental principles and rights of work which are: the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour, the effective abolition of child labour, the elimination of discrimination in employment and the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. These rights are similarly reflected in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ^{Footnote 15} By providing assistance to trade partner countries to respect the core labour standards and other international labour standards, the ITLP also furthers Canada's values regarding human rights.

3.1.3 Alignment with Federal Roles and Responsibilities

Is there continued relevance for the Government to deliver the ITLP?

The ITLP enables Canada to meet its international labour commitments stemming from its membership in labour fora and through bilateral Labour Cooperation Agreements. Key informants confirmed that the ITLP is important for enabling Canada to meet its commitments under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC) and Canada's other Labour Cooperative Agreements (LCAs) as well as its international and domestic commitments as a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Inter- American Conference of Ministers of Labour (IACML).

Almost all (95%) of the key informants indicated that the ITLP is important in enabling Canada to meet it's commitment under the NAALC since this program provides funding to the NAALC Secretariat, a treaty obligation between Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Interviewees (92%) also contended that the ITLP is important for Canada to meet its LCA commitments. One interviewee stated that the ITLP fills an important role for trade partner countries but that it is of slight importance in enabling Canada to meet its international and domestic labour commitments under its LCAs. Program staff pointed out that some LCAs include commitments to provide technical assistance to help trade partner countries meet international standards and ITLP is the only source of funding for such technical assistance.

A large majority (82%) of key informants indicated that the ITLP is of some or of great importance in enabling Canada to meet its international and domestic commitments as a member of the ILO. This view was shared by a majority of program representatives and other stakeholders. All but one representative from other federal government departments and agencies felt that the ITLP is of great importance for Canada in meeting its commitments under the ILO. Members of this group stated that the ITLP supports Canada's efforts to promote ILO standards for decent work globally. It also fulfilled Canada's commitment to the ILO by promoting social dialogue among social partners in Canada through the contribution stream.

Lastly, all but one key informant (93%) indicated that the program is of some or of great importance in enabling Canada to meet its international and domestic labour commitments as a member of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour (IACML). According to both funded stakeholders and those not directly affiliated with the ITLP, Canada had played a pivotal role at previous IACML sessions and it was among the few countries that provided institutional leadership and funding to the IACML.

Is the ITLP duplicating or complementing efforts of Canada's other federal and/or provincial, territorial departments, the not-for-profit sector or non-government organizations?

The majority (67%) of key informants from each group expressed the view that the ITLP has a small degree or no overlap with other federal, provincial and territorial or nongovernment organizations in the areas of international labour affairs. Some ITLP staff noted that they avoid providing technical assistance to countries that are or will be receiving funds from other donors for the same activities. Key informants from another federal department stated that the ITLP does not overlap with other international labour organizations or other Canadian programs because it targets its activities on specific issues or on program gaps. Other interviewees felt that the different technical assistance programs or projects focused on different fields and topics. The remaining interviewees (33%) from across the key informant groups perceived either some or extensive overlap between ITLP and other activities in the area of labour affairs.

While limited evidence of overlap or duplication was found, some key informants indicated that there is the potential for overlap in international cooperation because partner countries sometimes define labour issues differently. Also some projects can take the same problem and address it in different ways. Duplication and overlap can occur if there is no communication between donors. A project report noted that an organization funded by the ITLP was also funded for a different project through the Organization of American States (OAS) using Canadian funds. Although these projects were seen as complementary, the report noted that the OAS had not asked for feedback from Canada when the project was approved. It suggests that the OAS should coordinate with Canada in the approval of future projects. ITLP administrators have implemented strategies to reduce the risk of duplicating the activities of other donors, this includes: conducting needs assessment missions, participation in donors' meeting and ongoing involvement in the OAS and the International Labour Organization. They also consult with experts working in the targeted region to verify whether proposed projects duplicate the activities of other donors.

The vast majority (87%) of key informants felt that the ITLP complemented, to at least some extent, the activities of other international institutions, such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). HRSDC has also been recognized as a potential partner in CIDA's Canada-Americas Trade-Related Technical Assistance Program due to its expertise in labour-related technical assistance. If the partnership between ITLP and CATRTA is approved, the Labour program will undertake labour-related technical assistance with partner countries in the Americas with which Canada has negotiated or are currently negotiating free-trade agreements.

The majority (80%) of key informants indicated that Stream 3 of the ITLP has little to no overlap with other sources of funding since other sources of funding did not focus specifically on facilitating tripartite social dialogue on international labour issues in Canada. Those (20%) who felt there was some overlap included a funding recipient who said that the overlap was not critical and a stakeholder, unaffiliated with the ITLP, who expressed the opinion that similar programs exist but was not able to identify any other program. At the same time, a large portion of this contribution funding went to university institutions, some of which have received funding from other government sources. One ITLP-funded event (a lecture and conference) was organized by three partners who annually organized such an event without ITLP funding. They had previously organized an international conference on law and globalization. This demonstrated that alternate sources of funding are available for some projects funded by ITLP.

Key informants, including representatives from other federal government departments and agencies, confirmed that HRSDC (the Labour Program) is best positioned among federal government departments and agencies to administer the ITLP. This view was shared by one of the experts interviewed. ^{Footnote 16} Reasons cited include that the Labour Program is Canada's federal expert in labour issues both domestically and internationally, and that the program has already built relationships with appropriate stakeholders in partner countries.

3.2 Performance

Appropriate Legislative Framework and Regulations

Numerous funded projects had trade partner countries' Ministries of Labour as beneficiaries of and/or direct participants in the project activities. Projects that built capacity among national governments touched on all but one capacity component. Five of the eleven projects funded under this stream involved the participation of trade partner countries' Ministry of Labour in the development of appropriate legislative frameworks. Three of these projects contributed to legislative and regulatory reform. For instance, as a result of a legislative review, three countries updated and modernized their labour legislation to better reflect fundamental principles and rights at work as well as relevant ILO conventions. In another project, four countries officially approved lists of hazardous work for child labour and in a third project a country reformed its regulations regarding their alternative dispute resolution system.

Appropriate Complement of Skilled, Experienced and Knowledgeable Staff to Administer Labour Laws

Two projects provided training and two projects supplied tools to members of the judicial system in partner countries so they could better understand and enforce labour standards. Courses were held on international labour laws and legislation enforcement. A national electronic register of inspections and a multi-national database of labour legislation were also created.

Five projects trained labour officials or inspectors and three projects supplied tools to better monitor compliance and enforce international labour standards. This included: training on current labour standards, training for a database to record and follow-up on child domestic labourers, workshops on challenges faced by labour inspectors with regards to child labour and strategies to overcome these challenges, as well as training on how to use occupational health and safety tools in the performance of their inspector functions. Tools included modernized computer programs to organize inspectorate information, updated versions of the existing labour standards and manuals on an expanded framework for a trade partner country's inspectorates.

Workforce Knowledge of Rights

Seven funded projects conducted activities related to increasing the public's, workers' or (in the case of child workers) their families' knowledge of workers' rights. In addition to these awareness building activities, two projects reported direct results where children and adolescent workers were removed from dangerous work and either returned to school or entered vocational training.

Tripartite Consultations

Seventy-three percent of the projects included a tripartite consultation process involving government, and representatives of workers and employers. One project noted that by bringing the social partners together, the different parties were able to better appreciate the views of the others. Another project reported that it clarified some confusion about the definition of hazardous child labour among the social partners. As a result, following the consultation process, the partners were able to improve their advocacy on and help to develop solutions for the problem.

Some projects produced tripartite consensus on issues, such as the hazardous work lists for children that were officially approved by partner countries or action plans to update labour legislation. Other projects resulted in agreements being signed between government and labour organizations or government and employer organizations in different countries.

A majority of key informants rated the ITLP as very (or mostly) successful in building the capacity of trade partner countries in terms of human and material resources to develop and implement: (1) legislation and policies consistent with internationally recognized labour standards and practices; and (2) programming and tools consistent with internationally recognized labour standards and practices. ^{Footnote 22} In general, key informants perceived that ITLP-funded projects had positive results on the capacity of trade partner countries to address targeted labour issues. Nevertheless, approximately 40% of key informants felt the ITLP was either not successful or slightly successful at building trade partner capacity. Some justifications for this assessment included that: it was too early to measure progress, change to attitudes and perspectives takes time and some governments and partners are resistant to implementing change.

Most representatives of social partners in trade partner countries felt that the ITLP was not successful in addressing trade partner countries' capacity since they were not satisfied with the level of change. Yet these key informants did perceive that ITLP-funded projects had positive results on the capacity of trade partner countries to address targeted labour issues. They mentioned that the ITLP has contributed to the dissemination of standards and OSH best practices and has increased the opportunity to exchange ideas on relevant labour legislation issues. The material compiled (law, regulations and policies) are still accessible as a working tool to adjust and improve local and national laws. The ITLP also contributed to the implementation of tools such as a system of labour inspection, which was seen as an important development.

All Stream 1 projects had a knowledge component; as a result all projects involved knowledge dissemination activities that affected trade partner country beneficiaries. A large majority (87%) of key informants including Stream 1 funding recipients, representatives of other federal government departments or agencies and representatives of partner countries indicated that the ITLP was very (or mostly) successful in reaching out to beneficiaries through knowledge dissemination activities in trade partner countries. Most key informants agreed that the ITLP objective of knowledge dissemination was reached. The wide range of channels through which beneficiaries received information included both direct (face to face meetings, workshops, training), and indirect (radio programs, newspapers, mail-outs, magazines, posters, flyers and newsletters) approaches.

To what extent did the ITLP contribute to trade partner countries addressing labour issues, including LCA obligations?

Although it is not possible to attribute trade partner countries addressing labour issues fully and directly to the ITLP, some projects report positive examples of trade partner country governments acknowledging and beginning to address some of these issues.

For example, the Ministry of Labour in a partner country adopted a work plan to address the situation of child domestic labour. Some measures included in their budget were related to components of this plan. In addition, the mayors of two municipalities donated a number of buildings to create a special boarding house for those children who do not have access to education in order to prevent them from working in domestic labour.

Is Canada meeting its ITLP related financial commitments to international labour secretariats and institutions?

Through the ITLP, Canada complied with its treaty obligation under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC) to provide annual grants to the Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation.

To what extent are international labour institutions that are funded (in part) by the ITLP meeting their mandates?

Under its International Labour Institutions in which Canada Participates (Stream 2) component, the ITLP awarded grants to eligible international labour institutions so that they could conduct activities that are in line with their mandates. Primarily, it transferred non-discretionary funding to the tri-national Secretariat for NAALC as part of a treaty obligation. The activities and expenditures are not monitored by a mechanism specific to the ITLP. Under the NAALC, however, the Secretariat reports to the NAALC Ministerial Council (the Labour Ministers of Canada, Mexico and the United States). This Council also approves the annual work plan that determines the Secretariat's activities for the year. This work also constitutes the Secretariat's application for an ITLP grant, which is reviewed by the Directorate that manages the ITLP.

Four grants under this ITLP stream went to other international labour institutions. The International Labour Organization (ILO) was funded to conduct a study on ILO standards and principles on freedom of association and collective bargaining in the public and parapublic sectors. This project supports the strategic outcome of the ILO to "promote and realize standards and fundamental principles and rights at work". ^{Footnote 23} It did this by analyzing: ILO standards and principles related to collective bargaining in the public and parapublic sector. The legislation of 12 different nations (including Canada) were also explored as well as emerging trends on this issue.

Three grants went to the Organization of American States (OAS). One funded the travel of representatives from smaller countries to a preparatory meeting of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour (IACML) and an Inter-American Network for Labour Administration (RIAL) workshop. Two grants were awarded to finance the initial stage and two subsequent phases of the RIAL.

The RIAL is the mechanism that provides cooperation and technical assistance for the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour (IACML) of the Organization of American States (OAS). Its objective is to strengthen the human and institutional capacities of the region's Ministries of Labour through the dissemination of knowledge and experience. ^{Footnote 24} The ITLP funding helped the RIAL achieve this objective through:

• Hemispheric workshops for Ministers of Labour;
• The creation of a gender framework for the IACML;
• The reconstruction of an online tool highlighting successful programs undertaken by the Ministries of Labour in the region;
• The publication of the RIAL brochure and newsletter; and
• The creation of the RIAL Cooperation fund.

Some (45%) key informants including HRSDC staff, Stream 2 and 3 funding recipients, as well as representatives of other federal departments and agencies were very (or mostly) satisfied with the results achieved by international institutions. Eighteen percent were somewhat satisfied, while 36%, including all the stakeholders not affiliated with the ITLP, were not at all satisfied. Interviewees expressed positive views on the performance of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour (IACML) of the OAS but were less satisfied with how the NAALC Secretariat was meeting its mandate. Concerns were voiced about how the NAALC Secretariat for the Commission for Labor Cooperation is meeting its mandate in research and organizing cooperative activities. Key informants identified issues with the efficiency of the Secretariat, a lack of leadership and a decline in productivity since the 1990s. ^{Footnote 25}

To what extent did the ITLP contribute to social partners and civil society having the capacity to engage in dialogue with respect to the labour dimensions of globalization?

Fifteen projects were funded under the Contribution for Consultation, Partnership-Building and Canadian-Based Cooperative Activities (Stream 3) between May 2005 and April 2009. Four of these projects provided funds for Canadian labour and worker representatives to attend the annual International Labour Conference of the ILO. The Government of Canada is obligated as a member of the ILO to reimburse the travel and subsistence expenses of Canadian worker and employer representatives to attend the annual conference of the International Labour Organization. After 2006, the Department changed the means of reimbursement for these expenses from contribution agreements to memoranda of understanding (MoU) with the employer and worker organizations. These expenses are no longer funded under the ITLP. The eleven remaining projects were the basis of the following analysis as to how the ITLP contributed to the capacity of funded organizations to engage in social dialogue.

The following 'model attributes' were identified by the program as components of 'capacity' building for social dialogue ^{Footnote 26} :

1. Complement of skilled and experienced staff;
2. Research and analysis;
3. Partnerships and network; and
4. Financial.

Among the projects to build capacity within Canada for social dialogue on international labour issues, funding was provided to: an employer organization for one project, a labour organization for two projects and four universities or university-affiliated institutions for eight projects (one such recipient received funding for multiple projects).

Funds received by the employer organization were provided so that the organization could consult with its membership and other Canadian employers. The purpose of this project was to help the organization develop consensus positions on key international labour issues so that it would be better equipped to engage in social dialogue and represent Canadian employers in international fora, such as the ILO or within the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour (IACML). This project engaged employer organizations, produced a research report and held a conference to discuss the results of the report. As such, it contributed to the capacity of this organization to engage in social dialogue through research and networks among employers.

A labour organization was funded for two projects under this stream. One of these projects focused on enhancing the labour movement's capacity to address HIV/AIDS. It produced research papers, a Canadian study report and a labour's best-practices booklet that was distributed within Canada and abroad. The organization also held an international labour forum on AIDS which allowed networking and information-sharing between Canadian union representatives, those from other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and from the "Global South". The second project produced critical analysis research for Canadian workers and labour leaders on international labour standards and Canada's compliance with these standards. It also produced collaborative, participatory research among Canadian and other labour bodies in the Americas to analyse the Trade Union Technical Advisory Council (COSATE) of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour (IACML) and LCAs of bilateral free trade agreements signed by or being negotiated by Canada with other countries in the Americas. The results of this research and networking opportunities supported the labour organization to enter into more constructive social dialogue in venues such as: the Advisory Committee on International Labour Affairs (ACILA) meetings, parliamentary committees on international trade, and global union events.

Eight projects involving university or university-affiliated groups were funded. Four projects increased the capacity of the funding recipient through research and analysis as well as network development. Two of these projects also developed skilled and experienced staff by training young researchers in the fields of work, employment and global governance of work. One project focused on research and analysis alone. Final reports for the three remaining projects could not be located at the time of the evaluation.

In total, approximately 37 ITLP-supported knowledge products were disseminated by Stream 3 funding recipients and 45 conferences, seminars or workshops were held. Attendance ranged from about 20 conference participants to about 150 participants at international events.

Fifty-four percent of key informants believed that the ITLP fostered the production and dissemination of useful knowledge products. The remaining 46%, mostly funding recipients, felt that the ITLP was either not successful or slightly successful in this regard and more can be done on this issue.

A large majority of the Stream 3 recipients, program staff and other stakeholders believed that the ITLP was mostly (or very) successful in increasing the number of individuals, especially international representatives, and the variety of people (such as representatives of labour, employers, and management, as well as professors and students) involved in social dialogue activities. ^{Footnote 27}

To what extent did the ITLP contribute to social partners and civil society being engaged in dialogue with respect to the labour dimension of globalization?

A majority (53%) of key informants felt that the ITLP had been mostly or very successful in increasing the number of new opportunities for social dialogue in Canada. The remaining 47%, including almost half of Stream 2 or Stream 3 funding recipients and the majority of stakeholders not affiliated with the ITLP, viewed the ITLP as slightly successful. Key informants felt that ITLP funded projects had successfully increased opportunities for dialogue within the constituencies of employer organizations and labour organizations so that they could bring their constituents together and develop common positions within their organizations. At the same time, interviewees noted the lack of activities bringing government together with representatives of employers and labour to discuss and develop common interests on international labour issues. It was felt that more effort is needed to engage all three groups in addressing common interests. Although government, worker and employer representatives participated in some of the university-led activities, projects were primarily focused on researchers, academics and students. This was confirmed by key informants who felt that there could have been greater participation by labour and employers at these academic events.

3.2.2 Efficiency and Economy

What is the Percentage of Operation and Maintenance Costs relative to the Program Total Annual Budget and is this in line with Departmental Standards for Gs&Cs?

Funds to support operations and maintenance activities and salaries were not specifically included in ITLP's budget. Funds allocated to the International and Intergovernmental Labour Affairs (IILA) Director General's Office were used to support the ITLP. The program estimates that $139,125 per year, which represents approximately 6% of the program total annual budget between 2004-2005 and 2009-10, was spent on operation, maintenance and salaries for the management of the ITLP.

The ITLP formative evaluation in 2007 had found that the amount of work to assess the applications received during the call for proposals launched by the ITLP in 2005 was high. Since the formative evaluation, the selection process for the recipients of ITLP grants for Technical Assistance and Foreign-Based Cooperative Activities (Stream 1) has moved from an open call-for-proposals to targeted solicitation of applications. This change was largely due to the establishment of an HRSDC-CIDA administrative arrangement (AA) that lead to the creation of the International Program for Professional Labour Administration (IPPLA). Under IPPLA, the projects funded by Stream 1, representing the Labour Program's in-cash contribution to IPPLA, were jointly agreed upon by the two departments. This had the added benefit of minimizing the O&M and salary costs associated with the solicitation and selection of proposals for the ITLP. With the selection process for Streams 1 and 2 addressed, ITLP management felt that there would be no benefit to launching and administering a public call for the small contributions stream alone.

The evaluation found that the program employed efficiency measures to maximize the use of its annual budget and produce greater outputs. Canada is obligated to provide up to $700,000 (USD) for the NAALC Secretariat, on par with the United States and Mexico. To allow for fluctuations in the exchange rate, $1,000,000 (CAD) has been budgeted for this grant. The program used its surplus funds in Stream 2 and gave grants to the International Labour Organization and the Organization of American States to support the activities of these organizations.

3.2.3 What Progress has been made on the Implementation of the action plan to address the recommendations of the ITLP Formative Evaluation?

Four recommendations were made based on findings from the ITLP formative evaluation. ITLP management agreed with all the recommendations and devised an action plan to address them. Progress has been made on each of the recommendations.

Recommendation 1: The use of Grants versus Contribution Agreements should be revisited and assessed in light of the different nature and level of risk of the funded projects/ activities, with the objective of ensuring administrative efficiency and ITLP's ability to report on results.

Progress made in implementing recommendation 1: ITLP has changed the means of reimbursing the non-discretionary expenses for transportation and other costs related to worker and employer representatives to attend the ILO's annual International Labour Conference from contribution agreements through ITLP to memoranda of understanding (MoU) with the social partners.

ITLP administrators reviewed the instrument selection principles (grants versus contributions) and as a result of this review have suggested changes to the program Terms and Conditions which will be considered as part of the ITLP renewal process.

Recommendation 2: ITLP should 1) revisit the performance measurement framework that was presented in the RMAF and update it as necessary, and 2) implement an electronic performance measurement system that will allow them to collect, store, analyze and easily retrieve performance information on the funded projects.

Progress made in implementing recommendation 2: A new project database, built in Excel, was developed to capture project objectives, expenditures, activities and results. The results recorded in the electronic database were cross-walked to indicators listed in the framework. There was evidence that the performance measurement framework was not yet fully implemented. Information needed to report on indicators and to manage program performance were not available from the program (e.g. trade partner country maturity model scores, average percentage of activities carried out in accordance with all country work plans, social partners and civil society maturity model score related to capacity). Data that could provide information on performance indicators linked to intermediate or ultimate program outcomes were also not available. Some data quality issues were identified.

The ITLP program staff identified as their next steps: the installation of the database throughout their directorate, the International and Intergovernmental Labour Affairs Directorate (IILAD); the writing of guidelines for the database; and a review, update, and repopulation of the database by IILAD officers.

Recommendation 3: ITLP should work with the Evaluation Directorate to revisit the logic model and evaluation framework to ensure that expected outcomes are realistic and measurable given the specific context of the Program (e.g., funding instruments used, work in the international arena).

Progress made in implementing recommendation 3: An updated logic model was created and new indicators were developed in 2009 through an iterative process with program staff. Although the resulting logic model and indicators are more realistic and measurable than the previous version, its intermediate and ultimate outcomes are still not achievable within the 6-year span of the program. Also, the ITLP does not have any direct influence on whether "international labour institutions meet their mandates," which is indicated as an intermediate outcome. As a result, this is not a feasible outcome for this program.

Recommendation 4 was that: ITLP should ensure that guidance is provided systematically to all project proponents during the application process and consider the development of an Application Manual. The selection process is time-consuming and should be reviewed with the aim of increasing its efficiency.

Progress made in implementing recommendation 4: The ITLP implementation plan in response to the formative evaluation states that, if the ITLP is extended for a further term, the program will review and, as necessary, revise its selection and application guidance documentation and processes in keeping with its commitment in the mid-term Management Response and its obligation, as an HRSD grants & contributions program, to implement the principles and practices being established under the department-wide grants & contributions modernization in initiatives.

ITLP management has decided not to address an implementation plan for recommendation 4 in fiscal year 2010-2011, pending the extension of the ITLP for a further term. This was due to 1) the establishment of the HRSDC-CIDA administrative agreement that led to the creation of IPPLA, under which the projects funded by ITLP were jointly agreed upon by the two departments, 2) the lack of time to conduct an effective call-for-proposals and implement the resulting projects within the remaining term, and 3) the development of relevant department-wide enhancements to grants and contributions administration (under development in 2010-11).

4. Conclusions

4.2 Performance

The majority of ITLP-funded activities were executed as planned although projects funded by the Technical Assistance and Foreign-based Cooperative Activities (Stream 1) were less able to fully implement all of their planned activities. This was due, in part, to issues associated with conducting projects in partner countries such as: the lack of computer equipment in partner country ministries; the extended length of time needed to get consensus among stakeholders or to get official approval by partner governments; changes in governments of trade partner countries; and, social and political unrest. Where the funding recipients were more established international organizations, such as the ILO, this aided the progress of project activities due to the organization's positive reputation and access to other resources. In one case, a funding recipient had limited institutional funds for operational costs and a large percentage of the project funding went to staff salaries at the expense of planned project activities.

The activities funded under this stream contributed to the ITLP's expected direct outcome of trade partner countries having the capacity to address international labour issues. It made progress in the areas of: developing legislation; providing tools and training to members of the judicial system, labour officials and inspectors in partner countries; and raising workers' awareness of their rights. Tripartite consultation was also a frequent component of funded activities which helped develop consensus among stakeholders on labour policy and action plans related to labour issues.

In general, key informants perceived positive results of ITLP funded projects on the capacity of trade partner countries to address targeted labour issues. Although most representatives in trade partner countries were not satisfied with the level of change, they were able to cite examples of how ITLP projects provided useful tools and increased opportunities to exchange ideas on relevant labour issues. A number of key informants cautioned that it was difficult to attribute the progress made in terms of capacity building to the ITLP or that it was too early to measure progress since change in development takes time. Similarly, it was not possible to attribute trade partner countries addressing labour issues (an intermediate outcome of the ITLP) directly to the program. Project reports did, however, cite some positive examples of trade partner country governments acknowledging and beginning to address some labour issues.

Under Stream 2 of the ITLP, Canada met its international obligation to provide annual grants to the Secretariat of the North American Commission for Labour Cooperation under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC). The OAS and ILO also received ITLP-funding under this stream.

The intermediate outcome for Stream 2 was that 'international labour institutions meet their mandates'. Approximately 45% of key informants noted that they were very (or mostly) satisfied with the results achieved by international institutions that were funded in part by the ITLP. They were generally satisfied with the performance of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour (IACML) of the OAS but were less satisfied with how the Secretariat for the NAALC was meeting its mandate. Key informants, especially stakeholders not directly affiliated with the ITLP, voiced concerns related to the efficiency, the leadership and productivity of the NAALC Secretariat. It should be noted that the ITLP does not have direct influence on whether the NAALC Secretariat meets its mandate as ITLP only ensures that the Secretariat receives its annual funding after its work plan and budget are approved by the NAALC Ministerial Council, which includes the Canadian Labour Minister.

The ITLP's contributions to social partners and civil society under Stream 3 were found to have increased the capacity of recipient organizations to engage in social dialogue, especially in terms of research produced and networks developed. Key informants noted that the program was successful in providing opportunities for dialogue on international labour issues within constituencies (i.e. within employer groups and within labour groups) and among academics. At the same time, interviewees noted the lack of tripartite activities together to discuss and develop common interests on international labour issues. It was felt that more effort is needed to engage government and representatives of labour and employers in addressing common interests.

4.3 Progress in Implementing Recommendations of the ITLP Formative Evaluation

Progress has been made by the program in addressing the recommendations from the ITLP formative evaluation. The program has changed the means of reimbursing nondiscretionary expenses for worker and employer representatives to attend the ILO's annual International Labour Conference and have conducted a review of the appropriateness of using grants versus contributions as funding mechanisms for the ITLP. The ITLP revised their logic model and evaluation framework so that the expected outcomes are more realistic and measurable. Further work is required to ensure that ultimate and intermediate outcomes can be achieved within the expected timeframe of the program. The ITLP has created a new project database and has plans to implement the database throughout their directorate, write guidelines for the database and have program officers review, update and repopulate it. The formative evaluation recommended that the program review the ITLP application and selection process. An HRSDC-CIDA administrative arrangement (AA) led to the creation of the International Program for Professional Labour Administration (IPPLA). Under IPPLA, the projects funded by Stream 1, representing the Labour Program's in-cash contribution to IPPLA, were jointly agreed upon by the two departments. An application and selection process was then unnecessary during the period following the formative evaluation.

5. Recommendations from the Summative Evaluation

5.2 Focus social dialogue funding on projects that contribute to the tripartite dialogue

Should the Labour program tripartite social dialogue, it should ensure that this funding supports discussions that bring together representatives of workers, employers and government.

5.3 Appropriately train HRSDC staff and provide tools to beneficiaries for the purposes of improving performance measurement and monitoring

This includes training staff on how to determine appropriate outcome measurements and providing beneficiaries with tools to report against objectives. Recognizing the inherent challenges in attributing program results to country-level impacts, the Program should identify and track, if possible, a series of universal and/or country specific key indicators in relation to countries that benefit from funded projects as well as potential beneficiary countries with the goal of, at a minimum, understanding if the labour situations are improving over time.

Annex A - ITLP Projects funded during the period 2004-2005 to 2009-2010

# 1

Stream 1

Funding Period
April 1, 2003-April 30, 2005

Project name:
Strengthening Governance in Costa Rican Labour Administration (FOALCO I).

Funding recipient:
International Labour Organization.

Project Objectives

Modernize the Labour Inspection System in Costa Rica and encourage participation by social stakeholders.

Improve the Alternative Dispute Resolution system and increase participation by social stakeholders in the development and function of the Alternative Dispute resolution system.

# 2

Stream 1

Funding Period
March 1, 2005-June 30, 2005 and March 1, 2005-September 30, 2005

Project name:
Combating the worst forms of child labour in Central America, the Caribbean and Chile. Addendum.

Funding recipient:
International Labour Organization.

Project Objectives

Contribute to the prevention and elimination of the worst forms of child labour in Central America, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica.

Contribute to the prevention and elimination of commercial sexual exploitation of children in Chile.

Contribute to the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean by developing the sub-regional capacity for the promotion and effective national implementation of policies and programmes that give effect to the ILO Convention C. 182.

# 3

Stream 1

Funding Period
March 30, 2004-March 29, 2006

Project name:
Strengthening Governance in Costa Rican Labour Administration: Promotion of and Respect for Workers' Rights and Working Conditions (FOALCO II).

Funding recipient:
International Labour Organization.

Project Objectives

Develop a national policy and tripartite strategy for improving working conditions and health and safety in Costa Rica.

Strengthen the Labour Inspectorate, equipping it with structures, functions, and means that allow for efficient performance in guaranteeing compliance with laws related to working conditions and occupational health and safety.

Strengthen the Ministry of Labour's capacity to relate to other bilateral or multilateral technical cooperation bodies and to fulfill commitments arising from the labour agreements related to free trade agreements made with other countries, and in particular with Canada.

# 4

Stream 3

Funding Period
May 1, 2005 - August 31, 2005

Project name:
Activities related to attendance of Employer Members of the Tripartite Canadian Delegation at the 93rd Session of the International Labour Conference - Participation in various committees of the Conference.

Funding recipient:
Canadian Employers Council.

Project Objectives

Reimburse the travel and subsistence expenses of Canadian employer representatives to attend the annual conference of the International Labour Organization. This is a Government of Canada obligation as a member of the ILO. After 2006, these expenses were no longer funded under the ITLP.

# 5

Stream 3

Funding Period

May 1, 2005 - August 31, 2005

Project name:
Activities related to attendance of Worker Members of the Tripartite Canadian Delegation at the 93rd Session of the International Labour Conference - Participation in various committees of the Conference.

Funding recipient:
Canadian Labour Congress.

Project Objectives

Reimburse the travel and subsistence expenses of Canadian worker representatives to attend the annual conference of the International Labour Organization. This is a Government of Canada obligation as a member of the ILO. After 2006, these expenses were no longer funded under the ITLP.

# 6

Stream 1

Funding Period
Ended: December 31, 2006

Project name:
Strategic Planning: Gender, Labour Standards and Trade in Central America.

Funding recipient: Canadian Labour Congress.

Project Objectives

Improve knowledge among trade union women in Central America on gender, labour standards and trade by developing a strategy through which trade union women will be more involved in: monitoring respect for labour standards from a gender perspective; using national and international complaints mechanisms; and promoting respect for women's labour rights.

# 7

Stream 1

Funding Period
February 1, 2006 - June 30, 2006

Project name:
Combating the worst forms of child labour in the Caribbean, Columbia, Costa Rica and Haiti-Addendum.

Funding recipient:
International Labour Organization.

Project Objectives

Raise awareness and mobilize governments and social partners to act against child labour. Create an adequate normative framework in the countries and mechanisms for its enforcement.

Prevent, protect and withdraw children from the worst form of child labour.

Contribute to the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in Costa Rica.

Contribute to the prevention of the exploitation of child domestic workers in Haiti.

Contribute to the consolidation of the National Policy for the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labour in Colombia.

Contribute to the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean by developing the sub-regional capacity for the promotion and effective national implementation of policies and programmes that give effect to ILO Convention C. 182.

# 8

Stream 1

Funding Period
March 15, 2005 - March 31, 2007

Project name:
Strengthening Occupational Safety and Health in Central America, Belize and the Dominican Republic (FORSSO).

Funding recipient:
Fundación en Apoyo del Centro Regional de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (FUNDACERSSO).

Project Objectives

Support increased national political will for OSH in Central America, Belize, and the Dominican Republic.

Support increased regional political will for OSH in Central America, Belize, and the Dominican Republic.

# 9

Stream 2

Funding Period
August 10, 2005 - June 30, 2006

Project name:
Support the Participation of Smaller Economies in the Third Preparatory Meeting of the XIV Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour.

Funding recipient:
Organization of American States.

Project Objectives

Support the participation of the representatives of smaller economies in the Third Preparatory Meeting of the XIV IACML that took place in Washington, D.C. on August 30-31, 2005.

# 10

Stream 2

Funding Period
April 1, 2006-June 30, 2006

Project name:
Initial Stage of the Inter - American Network for Labor Cooperation (RIAL).

Funding recipient:
Organization of American States.

Project Objectives

Strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ministries of Labour to respond to common challenges in the region, through horizontal cooperation and technical assistance.

# 11

Stream 3

Funding Period
March 30, 2006 - April 30, 2006

Project name:
Renouveau institutionnel a l'ère de la mondialisation : la place du travail et des normes du travail.

Funding recipient:
Centre Études internationales et mondialisation.

Project Objectives

Orienter la recherche vers les aspects les plus novateurs et pertinents en ce qui concerne l'amélioration des normes du travail dans le contexte de la mondialisation.

Établir une stratégie de communication avec les acteurs dans le domaine du travail.

Élaborer une stratégie de dialogue entre des acteurs sur les questions liées au travail et aux normes du travail.

# 12

Stream 3

Funding Period

March 15, 2006 - October 31, 2006

Project name:
Effective Strategies on Labour and HIV/AIDS in Canada and Globally.

Funding recipient:
Canadian Labour Congress.

Project Objectives

Assess existing policy and action on Labour and HIV/AIDS, as well as to devise and promote a way forward.

# 13

Stream 3

Funding Period
May 1, 2006 - August 31, 2006

Project name:
Activities Related to the Attendance of Employer Members of the Tripartite Canadian Delegation at the 95th Session of the International Labour Conference.

Funding recipient:
Canadian Employers Council.

Project Objectives

Reimburse the travel and subsistence expenses of Canadian employer representatives to attend the annual conference of the International Labour Organization. This is a Government of Canada obligation as a member of the ILO. After 2006, these expenses were no longer funded under the ITLP.

# 14

Stream 3

Funding Period
May 1, 2006 - August 31, 2006

Project name:
Activities Related to the Attendance of Worker Members of the Tripartite Canadian Delegation at the 95th Session of the International Labour Conference.

Funding recipient:
Canadian Labour Congress.

Project Objectives

Reimburse the travel and subsistence expenses of Canadian worker and employer representatives to attend the annual conference of the International Labour Organization. This is a Government of Canada obligation as a member of the ILO. After 2006, these expenses were no longer funded under the ITLP.

# 15

Stream 1

Funding Period
September 1, 2006 - November 30, 2008

Project name:
Harmonization of Labour Legislation in ILO Member States in the English and Dutch Speaking Caribbean.

Funding recipient:
International Labour Organization.

Project Objectives

Review and identify gaps in national labour legislation, in the areas of the 4 CARICOM agreed model labour legislations.

Train member States and the social partners on, a) the provisions of their national legislation in the 4 areas where CARICOM model labour legislations exist, b) the provisions of other Caribbean national labour legislations and c) the steps needed to be taken at national level to bring their national labour legislation in line with international labour standards and the intent of the 4 CARICOM model labour legislations.

Member States and the social partners will have reached a consensus at the national and subregional level on areas where further guidance on labour legislation might be developed to assist the regional integration process.

# 16

Stream 1

Funding Period

June 1, 2006 - May 31, 2008

Project name:
Prevention and elimination of the worst forms of child labour in the Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua through the strengthening of Labour Ministries and Workers and Employers Groups.

Funding recipient:
International Labour Organization.

Project Objectives

Contribute to prevent and eliminate the worst forms of child labour in Central America (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua).

# 17

Stream 1

Funding Period
May 24, 2006 - March 31, 2008

Project name:
Strengthening Occupational Safety and Health in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Dominical Republic (FORSSO II).

Funding recipient:
Fundacion en Apoyo del Centro Regional de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (FUNDACERSSO).

Project Objectives

Strengthen the awareness and technical capacity of National Tripartite Commission for OSH (NTCOSH) members, as well as their governing duty in legislation, regulation, and local strategic OSH measuring tools in each country and the development of strategic alliances among the same.

Establish a formal partnership between FUNDACERSSO and the ILO (and possibly other organizations) in order to consolidate efforts in the region and to share technical support, tools, materials and technological facilities.

Update, design, and develop innovative tools for Occupational Safety and Health.

Disseminate and train on the OSH methodology and operational tools for diverse productive sectors in the Countries (agriculture, fishing, construction, and others, according to the specific needs of each Country); and dissemination of the OSH Strategic Plans of Action for each Country.

# 18

Stream 1

Funding Period
May 24, 2006 - June 30, 2007

Project name:
Migrant Workers: An outreach program for the Caribbean.

Funding recipient:
North-South Institute.

Project Objectives

Organize two roundtables - one in Jamaica and one in Barbados - at which issues relating to the treatment of migrant workers would be addressed.

Improve the contribution which migrant work makes to the development of the Caribbean economies and their peoples, through an improved understanding of the 'good practices' of Canada's temporary worker programs, and in particular the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Program (CSAWP).

Enhance the institutional and technical capacity of the Caribbean governments to meet their obligations under the memoranda of understanding governing the CSAWP.

# 19

Stream 2

Funding Period
February 14, 2007 - July 31, 2007

Project name:
A study on ILO standards and principles on freedom of association and collective bargaining in the public and para-public sectors, including an examination of the law and practice in certain countries.

Funding recipient:
International Labour Organization.

Project Objectives

Contribute to the knowledge and understanding of international labour standards in the area of collective bargaining in the public and para-public sectors and the analyze the actual state of law and practice around the world in a particular group of select countries and any obstacles that they may have taken in respect of collective bargaining in these sectors.

# 20

Stream 2

Funding Period
November 1, 2006 - March 31, 2008

Project name:
Second Phase of the Inter- American Network for Labor Cooperation (includes amendment Phase III).

Funding recipient:
Organization of American States.

Project Objectives

Strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ministries of Labour to respond to common challenges in the region through horizontal cooperation and technical assistance.

# 21

Stream 3

Funding Period
October 10, 2006 - April 30, 2007

Project name:
Gouvernance globale du travail (GGT) - Phase II.

Funding recipient:
Centre Études internationales et mondialisation.

Project Objectives

Alimenter un programme de recherche sur les évolutions et les tendances marquantes en ce qui concerne les formes de régulation du travail composant la GGT .

Consolider la stratégie de communication avec les acteurs dans le domaine du travail.

Opérationnaliser la stratégie de dialogue entre des acteurs sur les questions liées aux normes du travail à l'ére de la mondialisation.

# 22

Stream 3

Funding Period
September 1, 2006 - January 31, 2008

Project name:
Mapping the Social in Regional Integration: Rethinking Labour Regulation.

Funding recipient:
McGill University and CRIMT (Interuniversity Research Centre on Globalization and Work).

Project Objectives

Ensure a space for reflection that will allow recipients to map the relationship of the social in regional integration. The intention is to move analyses beyond a consideration of the legal text of regional agreements, toward an analysis of the factors that foster regional integration, and the sites of contestation.

Create a forum through which discussions can be focused on how to rethink regionalism with careful attention given to the (formal or de facto) regulation of the social dimensions of regional integration.

# 23

Stream 3

Funding Period
October 17, 2006 - October 24, 2006

Project name:
2006 International Labour Law Lecture and Conference.

Funding recipient:
University of Western Ontario.

Project Objectives

Ensure that the 2006 International Labour Law Lecture and Conference attracts global participation, including participation from China, India, Latin America and Africa.

# 24

Stream 3

Funding Period
April 1, 2006 - December 31, 2007

Project name:
Workshop on Pathways from Casual Work to Socio-Economic Security: Canadian and International Perspectives.

Funding recipient:
University of Northern British Columbia.

Project Objectives

Provide the opportunity for a dialogue and the exchange of research results among leading researchers on casual work (from government, academia, labour organizations, international organizations and non-governmental organizations) about the causes of the actualization of work and the policy responses necessary to improve the socio-economic security of casual worker in Canada, compared to Australia, the US and Europe and international labour standards.

Increase the awareness of cutting edge ideas on casual work and policy responses to a wider policy audience.

# 25

Stream 3

Funding Period
April 1, 2006 - October 1, 2007

Project name:
Broad-based consultation project with CEC membership and other significant Canadian employers.

Funding recipient:
Canadian Employers Council.

Project Objectives

Develop consensus positions on key international labour issues and how these issues may impact on domestic conditions.

Facilitate the CEC's participation in social dialogue and it contributions at the ILO and within other international labour institutions.

# 26

Stream 3

Funding Period
December 1, 2007 - March 31, 2008

Project name:
Gouvernance globale du travail - Phase III.

Funding recipient:
Centre Études internationales et mondialisation.

Project Objectives

Établir le GGT comme point de référence au niveau de la recherche et de la formation sur les questions des normes du travail dans le contexte de la mondialisation.

# 27

Stream 3

Funding Period
January 25, 2007 - August 31, 2009

Project name:
Support for ACILA (Advisory Committee on International Labour Affairs) related Work and ILO (International Labour Organization) Follow-up.

Funding recipient:
Canadian Labour Congress.

Project Objectives

Conduct an assessment study / critical analysis of national and global policies and actions in which labour unions, social partners and other stakeholders are mobilized to participate in the project.

Produce a report analyzing selected policies and activities, identifying areas to renew policy, and identifying opportunities to enhance stratégies.

Have information-sharing, evaluation and decision-making opportunities to motivate and direct discussions on effective policy and action among trade unionists, primarily, and with other stakeholders.

Have consultation meetings with the participation of Canadian government, employers' bodies, unions, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) & global unions, Canadian Employers' Council (CEC), ILO, etc.

# 28

Stream 2

Funding Period
August 29, 2008 - March 31, 2010

Project name:
Strengthening the Inter-American Network for Labour Administration (RIAL).

Funding recipient:
Organization of American States.

Project Objectives

Not included in summative evaluation.

# 29

Stream 2

Funding Period
February 26, 2009 - June 30, 2010

Project name:
Eliminating Forced Labour and Trafficking in Jordan.

Funding recipient:
International Labour Organization.

Project Objectives

Not included in summative evaluation.

# 30

Stream 2

Funding Period
March 23, 2009 - March 31, 2010

Project name:
Strengthening of the Institutionalized Social Dialogue through the National Commission on Wage and Labour Policies and its Similar Bodies in Colombia.

Funding recipient:
International Labour Organization.

Project Objectives

Not included in summative evaluation.

# 31

Stream 3

Funding Period
March 2, 2009 - April 30, 2009

Project name:
Projet de recherche portant sur les moyens d' « humaniser le commerce » - Phase 4.

Funding recipient:
Centre Études internationales et mondialisation.

Project Objectives

Favoriser une meilleure compréhension des outils d' « humanisation du commerce ». Mettre la recherche en débat et en diffuser les résultats.

# 32

Stream 3

Funding Period
March 23, 2009 - April 30, 2009

Project name:
Colloque international « Humaniser le commerce II » - Phase 4.

Funding recipient:
Centre Études internationales et mondialisation.

Project Objectives

Générer le débat et produire des lignes directrices sur l' « humanisation du commerce ». Diffuser le débat et ses résultats.

# 33

Stream 1

Funding Period
February 14, 2006 - March 31, 2006

Project name:
CARICOM Regional Conference on Trade and Labour Issues.

Funding recipient:
Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery.

Project Objectives

Facilitate dialogue among trade and labour officials, employers and workers/worker's representatives/union officials on the treatment of labour issues in the trade agreements in which the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is currently engaged, particularly the CARICOM-Canada trade negotiations.

Disseminate information on the treatment of labour issues in trade arrangements in CARICOM, and other regional and bilateral arrangements, with specific emphasis on the Canadian and US experiences.

Provide inputs into the formulation of recommendations for regional trade negotiators on a CARICOM approach to the treatment of labour issues in the trade negotiations in which CARICOM is involved.

# 34

Stream 2

Funding Period
Annually

Project name:
Canada's Annual Contribution to the North American Agreement on Labour Cooperation (NAALC) Secretariat.

Funding recipient:
Commission for Labour Cooperation.

Project Objectives

The NAALC secretariat submits a work plan each year which serves as their application for this grant.