Yemen deserves Canada’s help and voice
It’s a far-away, poor country with few linkages to Canada. So it’s no surprise Yemen hasn’t made much of a dent in Canadian news recently, nor has it been a hot topic for politicians. But it’s a country Canada should care about. Yemen’s people have endured one crisis after another for years. Bordered by regional […]
It’s time Canada report how it’s following global Sustainable Development Goals
In the next 20 years, Canada will become a country of large, diverse urban centres with a growing visible minority, Indigenous, and newcomer populations. By 2036, according to the latest Statistics Canada figures, around 30 per cent of all residents will have been born outside the country. These demographic shifts are not isolated, but rather […]
Canada must tackle root causes of displacement, conflict, as well as their effects
OTTAWA—Twenty million people in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Yemen are facing famine. It is being called the largest humanitarian crisis since the inception of the United Nations. In Yemen, the last two years of conflict has caused such severe economic breakdown that today some seven million people do not know where their next meal […]
Canada’s foreign aid rhetoric falls short in reality
When it comes to international aid, Stephen Harper might outshine Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. While Trudeau is happy to pose with Malala Yousafzai and offer honorary citizenship, his government is certainly not doing much by way of international aid for countries that need a boost to escape the cycle of poverty. It is well documented that when […]
While reporters watch Trump’s tweets, famines kill hundreds in parts of Africa
WINNIPEG—In late May, the government of Canada announced its Famine Relief Fund. The fund was launched to galvanize Canadians into helping the estimated 20 million people facing starvation in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and other countries in Africa. The announcement generated a bit of attention: a brief mention in the TV and radio news, a […]
Defence is not the sole guarantor of our security
The new foreign aid policy foresees that for every dollar of federal income, defence, which is now receiving just shy of seven pennies, will increase significantly while international assistance remains frozen at around 1.7 pennies. Defence is not the sole guarantor of our security. International assistance plays a key role in establishing a world that is more […]
Foreign aid leadership is questionable without money to back it up
International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the Liberal government’s new feminist international assistance policy last week. It is a bold approach that will ensure our international assistance program looks at potential partners and recipients through a feminist lens. Minister Bibeau states that Canada will work toward increasing funding of local women’s organizations, with a view to […]
Putting foreign policy to paper: Freeland largely crafted speech herself, with help from ‘lengthy’ talks with PM
Last week’s 4,000-word foreign policy speech reveals weeks worth of work, cross-departmental collaboration, and though many likely had a hand in the document, insiders say it was crafted in large part by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. With its talk of “hard power,” Canada being an “essential country” and taking a strong stance as a […]
Here’s hoping for education funding boost for those in need abroad
The recent terrorist attack in Manchester reminds us of the tragic cost of keeping important issues in the dark. This June 5 to 7, the replenishment conference for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) will be held in Ottawa. This little-known organization is the instrument that the international community has created precisely to combat obscurantism, and […]
Helping the poor in Canada, abroad shouldn’t be zero-sum game
In a troubled and complicated world, we need to maintain focus on helping those in the greatest need. Many complain that we should be spending our foreign-aid money at home where we have extensive poverty but lack the will to deal with it. Being poor in Canada is a luxury compared to the lives lived […]
