Blogs & Stories

Do you know where your clothes come from? Learn how Aritzia, Herschel Supply Co., Joe Fresh, lululemon and Roots stack up in terms of supply chain transparency.

by Nirvana Mujtaba and Dana Stefov | June 7, 2022

The threat of the far-right extremism is growing in Canada. Ideas and rhetoric that were once seen as the outliers of society have been normalized through a series of events…

by Erica Ifill | May 17, 2022

Over the past year, Oxfam has undertaken the following actions in support of becoming a more actively anti-racist and feminist organization.

by Oxfam Canada | April 8, 2022

At Oxfam, we don't just do charity. We root our actions in community, advocacy and justice.

by Oxfam Canada | December 27, 2021

For these holidays, give a meaningful gift that tackles poverty's root causes and advances women's rights.

by Oxfam Canada | December 15, 2021

Oxfam expresses our solidarity with the First Nations peoples of the unceded, unsurrendered Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan territories, who are standing up for their rights and sovereignty in the face of…

by Oxfam Canada | November 24, 2021

If done well, oil and gas cleanup programs are not only environmental necessities but represent important economic and social opportunities and minimize investment risks.

by Sharmeen Contractor and Mike Toulch | November 9, 2021

Canada and other wealthy countries made a commitment to deliver $100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing countries adapt to climate change and reduce emissions. This is where…

by Anya Knechtel | October 20, 2021

Announcing the funding recipients for the Her Future, Her Choice Financial Support for Community-Based Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Initiative.

by Amanda Gomm | July 21, 2021

Meet Miriam Palacios and Amar Nijhawan. Two different generations who share a love for social justice.

by Oxfam Canada | May 3, 2021

While Central America is responsible for only 0.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, families living in the Dry Corridor of El Salvador are heavily affected by the deepening…

by Anya Knechtel | April 20, 2021

Reframing care as a social good, offers us a powerful tool in the struggle to get unpaid care work valued. Let’s make our words count.

by Amber Parkes | April 6, 2021

Oxfam Canada Executive Director Lauren Ravon's testifies before the Parliamentary Health Committee on behalf of the People’s Vaccine Alliance, which calls for COVID-19 vaccines to be made available for all…

by Lauren Ravon | March 8, 2021

Over the past year, Oxfam has undertaken the following actions in support of becoming a more actively anti-racist organization.

by Oxfam Canada | February 17, 2021

When a public health crisis like COVID-19 makes the lives of Black and Brown communities even bleaker, it means that racism and inequality is the first crisis in Canada.

by Siham Rayale | February 8, 2021

Vaccines for the COVID-19 virus are becoming available – but who will get one, and how much will we pay for it? Here are five things we need to do…

by Oxfam Canada | January 14, 2021

This week marks the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement on climate change, a landmark agreement by 196 countries to take action on climate change.

by Anya Knechtel | Oxfam Canada | December 10, 2020

Girls are largely invisible in Philippine legislation and policy, a new bill that will make child marriage illegal is hoping to change that.

by Paula Baker | October 29, 2020

Oxfam Canada, together with 55 women’s rights and feminist organizations, sent a letter to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland requesting a roundtable on priorities for the next budget.

by Oxfam Canada | September 22, 2020

COVID-19 has prompted global leaders to sound the alarm about the horrifying worldwide rise in violence against women and children during lockdown.

by Mayssam Zaaroura & Farwah Qasim | May 12, 2020

Sexual and reproductive health services, including safe abortion, are essential, life-saving care, which does not change in times of crisis.

by Lara Cousins | April 28, 2020

This open letter is a call for urgent action from doctors and nurses on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Oxfam Canada | April 14, 2020

How governments and communities respond to the coronavirus today have the potential to shape our society for years, and potentially generations, to come.

by Diana Sarosi | Oxfam Canada | April 3, 2020

When Cyclone Idai swept across Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe on March 14, 2019, it was deemed one of the worst cyclones ever to hit Africa, killing over a thousand people…

by Kate Higgins | March 13, 2020

People in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, like many others in Kenya and Somalia, are now enduring near-constant severe drought. Despite bearing no responsibility for the factors driving climate change,…

by Chris Hufstader | December 20, 2019

Canada’s bold commitments to Women, Peace and Security hold tremendous potential. But this potential will go unrealized if Canada simultaneously fuels wars that harm women.

by Brittany Lambert & Christine Martin | October 2, 2019

Following decades of advocacy, Canada has finally joined the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The multilateral treaty aims to regulate international weapons sales in order to reduce suffering caused by illegal…

by Christine Martin & Sawsan Al-Refaei | September 18, 2019

After an alarming UN report saying a record-breaking 71 million people have been displaced by war in 2018, Susan Grace Duku, founder of Refugee Women and Youth Aid in Uganda,…

by Susan Grace Duku | Founder of Refugee Women and Youth Aid | June 20, 2019

In a time when women's rights are increasingly under threat, I find hope in reflecting on the examples of feminist fathers working to stand in solidarity with women and build…

by Elly Adeland | June 11, 2019

As the world’s largest humanitarian disaster - 80 per cent of Yemen’s population need humanitarian assistance and protection. Here are seven things you should know about Yemen and Oxfam’s response…

by Christine Martin | June 10, 2019

How do you talk about your period? Sure, menstruation may not be a common topic amongst friends on a Friday night but when it does crop up — do you…

by Paula Baker | May 28, 2019

Paying tribute to Meyer Brownstone, Chair Emeritus of Oxfam Canada.

by Julie Delahanty | April 5, 2019

Canada’s support for women and girls to exercise their rights to bodily autonomy, make choices about their own reproductive health and be treated with dignity and respect is driving economic,…

by Sandeep Prasad & Julie Delahanty | February 4, 2019

There is no greater responsibility than to ensure the safety and dignity of the people we serve. The critical mistakes that were made in Haiti in 2011 have pushed us…

by Julie Delahanty | November 15, 2018

Climate change has affected the normally predictable seasons in this impoverished region of India. The monsoons last longer, are larger and, in 2017, were accompanied by Cyclone Mora.

by Paula Baker | June 29, 2018

Gender inequality is the most serious and pervasive form of discrimination in the world. But with new laws and social movements, change is possible.

by Oxfam Canada | March 8, 2018

Lucinda, Jine, Chipililo, Hendrina, Alice, and Sekechina pass the mechanical parts of the borehole back, hand to hand.  They are showing me how to dismantle and repair the newly restored…

by Luna Allison | February 8, 2018

Following the Harvey Weinstein allegations, I kept hearing the same refrain as more women added their voices to #MeToo and shared stories of sexual violence: how did I let that…

by Mayssam Zaaroura | October 27, 2017

 Emily Kirby recounts her experience as an Oxfam Ambassador for the Stand As One campaign – a global movement of Coldplay fans standing in solidarity with refugees and displaced people.…

by Luna Allison | September 28, 2017

Understanding gender is about seeing the economy as a gendered structure, containing norms and assumptions about roles, responsibilities and behaviours.

by Oxfam Canada | July 24, 2017

The moral poverty of the America First idea lies in the false choice it presents: are you a part of the American family or the human family? We shouldn’t have…

by oxfamcanada | January 24, 2017

Oxfam’s new inequality report, which found that just 8 men own the same wealth as half the world, is making headlines around the globe. Since we launched we have been…

by oxfamcanada | January 17, 2017

On Monday June 20, 2016, we marked World Refugee Day, standing with refugees around the world, from Syria to Burundi. Just two days later, we stood together in solidarity once…

by oxfamcanada | June 25, 2016

What is Equal Pay Day all about anyway? On April 19, 2016, The Ontario Equal Pay Coalition marks Equal Pay Day – the day when a typical woman’s earnings have…

by oxfamcanada | April 19, 2016

On October 19th, 2015, Canadians told the world they were ready for something different. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected on the promise of action on climate change, a valued…

by oxfamcanada | December 9, 2015

Written by Julie DelahantyExecutive Director, Oxfam Canada Early reviews of last night’s Munk Debate on foreign policy have been positive. There was a substantive airing of some important issues. And…

by oxfamcanada | September 29, 2015

Written by Julie DelahantyExecutive Director, Oxfam Canada Election season is heating up. The leaders debate on economic policy is almost upon us. And my mother wants me to say a…

by oxfamcanada | September 17, 2015

Written by Kelly Bowden, National Campaign Manager If you ask political parties or the media, this election is about the middle class. If you ask me, it’s about people living…

by oxfamcanada | August 6, 2015

The world’s most powerful political leaders will be quietly absent from the UN Financing for Development Conference when it kicks off in Addis next week.  They would rather not put…

by oxfamcanada | July 7, 2015

“We feel like leaders”, “I am no longer the same”, “We are together now”, “we know we can do it” – these are the voices of women leading the urban…

by oxfamcanada | April 23, 2015

I was born and raised in Congo (D. R) until my family immigrated to Winnipeg. Three years ago, I was introduced to Oxfam, when invited to participate in Oxfam Canada's…

by oxfamcanada | April 14, 2015

By Winnie Byanyima This year, global leadership will be tested like never before. Significant progress has been made in the last decade. Global poverty rates are falling. Child and maternal…

by oxfamcanada | January 19, 2015

It’s 4am. You get up like any other morning with your young baby. Except today is different. Last night a freak storm flooded your fields and your crops are out…

by oxfamcanada | October 14, 2014

Kellogg has announced it is stepping up to address climate change in a very big way. It has committed to reduce harmful emissions across both its supply chain and operations,…

by oxfamcanada | August 13, 2014

An inside look at the food giant’s bold new commitments on land rights. Monique van Zijl is the campaign manager for Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign. When one of the…

by oxfamcanada | August 7, 2014

by Winnie Byanyima It could be the opportunity of a generation. The world can be proud of the progress made towards ending poverty – as I see for myself when…

by oxfamcanada | July 18, 2014

Everyone’s got a right to Pride! Oxfam supporters, partners and staff from around the world celebrated our work to advance LGBTI rights at WorldPride 2014! WorldPride took place in Toronto from…

by Oxfam | June 21, 2014

by Emily Brown, Oxfam Great Britain Yesterday I shared with you a new animation on women’s political voice – and today, to inspire you, I would like to share with…

by oxfamcanada | June 12, 2014

by Anna Kramer, Oxfam America Recently, a friend of mine almost got into trouble with the US government. As he returned home from a few months of humanitarian work in…

by oxfamcanada | June 5, 2014

by Winnie Byanyima I have joined global decision makers in Maputo this week for the IMF and Mozambiquan government’s joint “Africa Rising” conference, to take stock of Africa’s economic performance,…

by oxfamcanada | May 30, 2014

No company is too big to listen to its customers. When enough of us speak out, companies listen. Last year more than 400,000 of you called on companies to do…

by oxfamcanada | May 20, 2014

by Françoise Venni This year the World Economic Forum (or WEF) for the Latin America region was held in Panama. A country where growth levels, which are among the 20…

by oxfamcanada | April 8, 2014

The evidence is clear: Strong development and the achievement of women’s rights are intrinsically bound – in everything from economic growth, access to education, food and health security to the…

by Winnie Byanyima | March 31, 2014

Virginia’s story “I see the climate is changing a lot,” says Virginia Ñuñonca, a farmer and community leader in the Peruvian highlands. “Before it wasn’t like this. Sometimes these days,…

by oxfamcanada | March 26, 2014

When enough of us speak out, companies listen. Today PepsiCo proved this. After nearly 6 months of campaigning, the world’s second largest food and drink company agreed to a zero…

by oxfamcanada | March 18, 2014

Popular British graffiti artist Banksy has shown his support for the #WithSyria campaign by reworking his iconic image of a little girl with a balloon, entitled “There is Always Hope“,…

by oxfamcanada | March 11, 2014

It’s not only Diana Ross who is left singing “upside down you’re turning me…” In the last twelve months Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign and hundreds of thousands of people…

by Oxfam | February 26, 2014

by Eric Hazard Over 810,000 people are in need of immediate food aid in northern Mali as I write this blog. In the Sahel as a whole, around 20 million…

by oxfamcanada | February 12, 2014

by Nick Galasso, Oxfam America research and policy advisor   It’s time they pay their taxes, stop using wealth to influence politics. Last week, we released a new report on…

by oxfamcanada | January 27, 2014

Statement by Robert Fox, Oxfam Canada Executive Director In South Africa, every six hours a woman is killed by her partner. In Guatemala, two women are murdered on average daily.…

by oxfamcanada | December 10, 2013

By Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, and Raymond Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America Jobs, innovation, wealth creation: the private sector has great potential to pull people out of…

by oxfamcanada | December 2, 2013

Explaining the links that connect the sugar in your Coke or Pepsi to the global scandal of land grabs that kick poor farmers off their land can be a long…

by Oxfam | October 22, 2013

Village chief Ezequiel Joâo Kaiowá leads me to a forest clearing located on his tribe’s ancestral land known as Panambi-Lagoa Rica, in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, south-western…

by Oxfam | October 17, 2013

Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Associated British Foods (ABF) have had varied reactions to Oxfam’s new report, Sugar Rush, exposing land grabs and conflicts in their sugar supply chains, and their need…

by oxfamcanada | October 4, 2013

The results are in Over 120,000 people taking action. The world’s ten biggest food and beverage companies. And one groundbreaking campaign. Combine these ingredients and what do you get? The…

by oxfamcanada | September 23, 2013

by Anna Kramer, Oxfam America Look closely at the photo above. Notice anything different about those lampposts? In fact, the lights in the background of the photo—which was taken in…

by oxfamcanada | August 10, 2013

We’re already seeing companies committing to do business better. That’s because of you – but there’s more we can do to put the pressure on through Twitter and Facebook. Since…

by oxfamcanada | July 24, 2013

by Winnie Byanyima I feel very privileged to have joined Oxfam International just as we adopt our new strategic plan, called “The Power of People against Poverty”. To me, that…

by oxfamcanada | June 28, 2013

  by Adam Musgrave, Oxfam International I sat in Enniskillen Golf Club on Tuesday afternoon, having just delivered our final, golf-themed stunt with the Big Heads, and watched the news…

by oxfamcanada | June 21, 2013

  by Irit Tamir While gender equality is enshrined in the 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights, in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women…

by oxfamcanada | May 17, 2013

by Melissa Ekdom-Delorme Saturday evening I spent reconfiguring my toilet to a 4L flush and filling small bottles and jugs of water carefully portioned for drinking and cleaning. I was…

by Oxfam Canada | May 10, 2013

  The tragic collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh has put a spotlight on the poor pay and working conditions endured by millions of people who make our clothes…

by oxfamcanada | May 2, 2013

  With your help, Oxfam has been campaigning since September on land grabs, as part of our GROW campaign for food justice. We wanted the World Bank to take some…

by oxfamcanada | April 23, 2013

  by Jo Whitaker Meet Patricia. She’s a mother of six from a small town called Casiguran in the Philippines. Until recently, she and her husband lived next to the…

by oxfamcanada | April 18, 2013

  by Hannah Stoddart At the beginning of its Land and Poverty Conference this week, the World Bank Group put out a statement on land that follows many months – and in some cases…

by oxfamcanada | April 15, 2013

  In the once tranquil Casiguran municipality of the Philippines, a powerful local political dynasty has started building. There are plans for a deep water shipping port, and plans to…

by oxfamcanada | April 10, 2013

  A new UN report released today on Women’s Rights and the Right to Food puts the spotlight on the hugely disproportionate amount of time that women spend caring for…

by oxfamcanada | March 4, 2013

  What do Toblerone and Tropicana have in common? The same as Coca-Cola, Cheerios and Cadbury’s and Oreos, Pringles and Pop Tarts. They’re all made by the “Big 10” food…

by oxfamcanada | February 26, 2013

  by Anna Kramer, Oxfam America How much food does your household go through in a week? What are your go-to family meals? And how much do you spend on…

by oxfamcanada | January 28, 2013