Off Duty is a series of lively conversations with influential people, from CEOs to celebrities, on life, work and the art of taking time off.
Joe BelliveauIllustration by Photo Illustration by The Globe
Joe Belliveau has worked tirelessly through international crises – from cholera outbreaks in Haiti and eastern Congo to bombings in Gaza – as the executive director of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) Canada for the past six years. His term leading the organization’s efforts to provide medical care to those affected by disease and conflict is set to conclude at the end of this year, but he’s nowhere near done with his work of creating more space for humanity in emergency situations.
“We need technical competence, but it is really about human connection, solidarity and empathy,” he said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.
During his fixed term, Belliveau spent several weeks each year away from his home base of Toronto, visiting places where MSF provides humanitarian aid. One of his biggest accomplishments from his time as executive director is successfully advocating for a humanitarian aid exemption in Bill C-41 – legislation introduced after Sept. 11, 2001, that criminalizes working with anyone listed as a terrorist entity.
He intends to keep working with MSF in some capacity. “I’m 100 per cent clear that this is my calling.”
Despite his strong dedication to his job, he has come a long way from the early days of his career, when he would frequently overwork. A husband and the father of three children, he’s come to understand the importance of balance, prioritizing his own well-being and being present with his family.
Why are organizations such as MSF particularly important at this very tumultuous moment in time?
The number and intensity of crises is huge, and it’s only going to get bigger. Borders are getting harder to cross, governments are becoming increasingly nationalist and protective, and international humanitarian laws are being eroded. A lot of international organizations are shifting towards a model of locally led responses. There’s something very valuable in that, but there’s also something very valuable about people who are willing to cross borders and stand next to other people who they may not have a national, ethnic, political or any other type of affinity beyond their shared humanity.
How is the climate crisis changing the nature of humanitarian aid?
We really have to wake up to the fact that climate change is going to be a massive co-driver of displacement and humanitarian crises, on an equal footing with war. MSF works in about 85 countries around the world right now and everywhere we look we’re seeing that it’s an intersecting and massive factor.
Historically, humanitarian action has been almost entirely reactive. Something happens, we respond. In the climate crisis, we have to shift that paradigm and become more able to anticipate and predict what is coming next. We have the technical tools to predict how weather patterns are shifting and temperatures are rising and disease patterns are moving. We need to harness our capacity so that we’re able to start to meet some of the challenges.
How do you stay strong while witnessing so much suffering in your work?
When it gets really tough and heavy, I remind myself what it is that we’re here to do. I think back to the last place where I was working with our teams and delivering medical assistance, and that’s like a superpower for me. It’s like an electric boost and then I’m back. The other thing is my family. I have young kids so they help me check out whether I want it or not. They pull me into their world.
What is your approach to speaking to your kids about the global issues you’re working on?
We always make sure we speak with our kids about the work we do. It works both ways: In order to explain our work to our young children, we have to distill the issues to their core, and that helps me to be clear with myself about my own positions. It also stimulates our children to ask questions and get interested. They are very curious. We also have an 18-year-old daughter who is very used to discussing global issues with us by now.
How do you maintain balance in your life?
When I’m at work, I try to give 100 per cent of myself to it. But I try not to work past 5 p.m. on a normal day and really save the rest of that day for my family, for my health, for my well-being. I have a six-year-old, an eight-year-old and an 18-year-old, and I try to give them all of my heart and be the best father and husband I can be. My wife and I are going on a date tonight; we always try to carve out space for that. I also make sure I do some physical activities. I do yoga, I ride my bike, I get outside in the backyard and fix up the house.
What is your yoga routine?
I have developed my own 12-minute routine. It’s just short enough, and easy enough to do from anywhere, that there is no excuse not to do it every day. Part of it is being upside down, which I find is a great way to boost your brain.
What have you been reading?
Recently I read The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Tsing, which is a fascinating tracing of matsutake mushroom as a metaphor for our integrated global world and a hopeful window into the possibilities for life within spaces of ruin. The second one is World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech by Franklin Foer. The title says it all, but it’s basically about how we are being numbed and guided by the giant tech companies toward a world of convenience at the cost of individual liberty and our own creativity.
You and your family are moving to Spain at the end of the year. What are you most looking forward to?
We’re moving to Spain to be closer to my wife’s family and for the sunshine. As my youngest says, “I want to live where I don’t have to wear a jacket.” We love Barcelona for its food, community and family-centred way of life, vibrancy, multiculturalism and access to the beach. I’m really looking forward to exploring the mountains and forests, and I can’t wait to see the Basque country.