Good on political activities panel for backing a charitable democracy
Every once and a while, one gets a whiff of real democracy and it’s like a breath of fresh air. The Consultation Panel on the Political Activities of Charities just released its 31-page report, after listening to and wading through a whopping 20,000 submissions. The process (which included online submissions and roundtable discussions) and the results […]
Canada’s foreign aid groups are ripe for disruption
What would happen if the leaders of Canada’s major relief and development groups got into the same room and were told to set aside their organizational interests, to dream up a new model to finance programs that serve the poorest and most vulnerable people around the globe? That’s a question that Nicolas Moyer, former head of […]
The international community must pull-together for South Sudan — before it’s too late
The sense of optimism that emerged from South Sudan in July 2011 was palpable. The birth of the world’s youngest country might finally bring peace to the people who had endured the continent’s longest-running civil war. At least that’s what the South Sudanese had hoped for. That’s what we all had hoped for. When I […]
Good news in the Middle East, and it’s Canadian
At the Neve Ilan exit off Route 1 between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem lies the least divisive shrine in the Holy Land. In a place where dead kings are forever being conscripted in absentia, the Elvis Inn is an oasis of spectacularly kitschy dead-king memorabilia and a surreal demilitarized zone perfectly situated between the Arab village […]
‘Poor here’ is poor excuse not to boost foreign aid
In January, International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau wrote: “The world’s richest one per cent own 99 per cent of our planet’s wealth. The widening gap between the rich and the poor is contributing to global unrest, political instability, conflict, and migratory crises…Concrete actions are what we need, both in the interest of developing countries and […]
Let’s eliminate polio
Someone created quite a stir in Calgary a few days ago, walking into a drug store with an active case of measles and exposing everyone there to an infectious disease. All the radio stations covered it, trying to track down those shoppers. My concern was that this disease was contracted on an airplane. Yikes! Polio […]
Ease debt for countries hit hardest by climate change
Developing countries are collectively faced with a bill climbing into the trillions of dollars, to cover the costs of action on climate change, and on servicing foreign debt. While developed nations, including Canada, have committed to mobilizing U.S. $100-billion a year by 2020 to support developing countries in adapting to the adverse effects of climate […]
‘She challenged us’: MPs praise Malala Yousafzai’s Parliament speech, opposition urges more funding for girls’ education
Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai made a clear pitch to the Canadian government to lead on global education and women’s rights when she spoke to Members of Parliament and Senators in a special joint session of Parliament on April 12. MPs from several parties called it inspiring. “To hear a speech like […]
Reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan besieged by corruption, poor oversight, says U.S. auditor
After five years tracking U.S.-led reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, John Sopko refuses to downplay his disappointment with the pace of advancement. While he has seen some improvements, Mr. Sopko, who leads the U.S. government’s Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, says the country continues to face steep challenges, namely with deteriorating security, corruption, and a struggling economy. […]
Budget shows signs of life for international development
While waiting for the federal government’s new international assistance policy, we can see some clues about it in the recent federal budget. Canadians interested in reducing global poverty were disappointed most by the numbers. There was no increase for international assistance, nor was a plan announced for future increases. Canada’s official development assistance as a […]
