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 […]
South Sudan deserves your attention
South Sudan, the world’s newest country, is in crisis, and not many people are paying attention. The landlocked African country broke apart from Sudan after decades of war in 2011. But within a couple years, innocent civilians were once again stuck in a country in full-fledged conflict, this time between political and ethnic factions internally and […]
Canada should lead in getting rid of polio
Imagine a world with smallpox. Now imagine a world without polio. In 2016 fewer than 40 children were infected by polio during the entire year. This is amazing progress from the thousands infected in years earlier, and we are actually poised to eradicate this disease from the face of the earth, such as we did […]
Canada should jump back into Afghan security picture
Allegations have surfaced that aid funds intended to help Afghan children return to school were embezzled, pointing to large-scale corruption inside the country’s education department. Despite a World Bank initiative to establish an international trust fund to minimize corruption, Canada’s funds may have been misappropriated. The Canadian government is “undertaking due diligence” to ensure that, […]
