Rethinking the international financial system during a time of crisis

Introduction
On October 19 and 20, 2009, the Halifax Initiative held a conference, co-hosted by The North South Institute, the University of Ottawa and the School of International Development and Global Studies (SIDGS), entitled "What’s Missing in the Response to the Global Financial Crisis?" The meeting brought together experts from a range of backgrounds to analyze the challenges facing the global economy, discuss the ways in which the international community has responded to the current financial crisis, and identify shortcomings in these responses.

November 11, 2009

Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Managing Director
International Monetary Fund,
700 19th Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20431

Dear Mr. Strauss-Kahn:

Re: Request for civil society participation in IMF study on how the financial sector can help pay for the bailouts 

In September, the Group of 20 (G20), at their summit in Pittsburgh, mandated the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with preparing a report ahead of the next G20 summit in June 2010 to consider “how the financial sector could make a fair and substantial contribution toward paying for any burdens associated with government interventions to repair the banking system.”

In June 2010, the Halifax Initiative launched the first in a series of radio documentary -type podcasts under the rubric of "Definitely NOT the G8" just ahead of the 2010 Group of Eight (G8) and Twenty (G20) meetings in Huntsville and Toronto, Canada on June 25-27 2010.

The podcasts have three goals:

• to raise awareness in Canada about progressive social, economic and environmental justice issues in the international development and finance arena that are often missing from, or disregarded in, official discussions and the mainstream media;

Governance and institution - Global economic governance in crisis: new players, new power

Moderator: Gordon Betcherman, Professor, School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa

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Betcherman.mp3

Rules and policies - Raising and retaining funds

Moderator: Teresa Healy, Senior Researcher, Social and Economic Policy
Department, Canadian Labour Congress

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Healy.mp3

Rules and policies - Raising and retaining funds

Questions and answers and discussion

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QandA_3.mp3

Close and summing up

Gerry Barr, President-CEO, Canadian Council for International Co-operation
and Chair, Make Poverty History Canada

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Barr.mp3

Perspectives on proposals for change - Rethinking the global financial system

Questions and answers and discussion

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QandA_5.mp3

Rethinking global development finance – perspectives from the Canadian government

John Davies, Director and IDA Deputy, International Finance and Development Division, Finance Canada

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Davies.mp3

Rethinking the global financial architecture – perspectives from civil society

Soren Ambrose, Development Finance Coordinator, Action Aid International

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Ambrose.mp3