In November 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney declared that he would no longer describe Canada’s foreign policy as a “feminist foreign policy” (FFP). According to Carney, Canada would continue to support values of gender equality abroad, but do so without the national branding and rhetoric of being feminist. 

At its core, Canada’s FFP elevated a wider range of priorities considered central to Canadian security interests including the protection of women’s rights and gender equality especially in conflict zones, pursuing international justice for victims of sexual and gender-based violence, elevating female participation in global peace processes, and providing international support in a manner that enhances the economic standing of women and girls. 

On the surface, Carney’s comments appear to mark a stark departure from the approach of his predecessor Justin Trudeau, whose government pioneered Canada’s FFP and proudly adopted the feminist label. In 2017, the Trudeau government launched the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), which served as the main framework of Canada’s FFP meant to guide Canadian diplomacy and international development. 

Carney’s comments sparked significant backlash. Dozens of civil society organizations signed an open letter expressing deep concern over his statement and noted that his comments come at a time of a global rolling back of women’s rights with rising levels of illiberalism and democratic backsliding.

Does the Carney government’s new approach really mark a seismic shift from the Trudeau government’s embrace of FFP in practice? Analysis of the Trudeau government’s policies and rhetoric regarding its FFP in its last two years, reveals significant continuity between both governments. Carney seems simply to have........

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