Why the world isn’t in as bad a state as you think
The bursts of terrorism, bombings, and political turmoil in today’s world have convinced many people that peace is impossible. I dissent from this view. We are not having a “clash of civilizations.” There are many reasons to express a realistic hope that a safer world can be built. We must be able to see beyond […]
Canada’s leadership on sexual and reproductive health must be matched by healthy development budget
On International Women’s Day, Prime Minister Trudeau made an important pledge towards supporting a key set of rights that so often go neglected—sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Yesterday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, alongside Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced that the government would be committing $650-million in funding over three […]
On foreign aid, PM Trudeau should follow in his dad’s footsteps
It was Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau that reached the highest level under any federal Canadian government of giving internationally. Under his leadership, Canada was giving nearly 55 cents on every $100 we made to international assistance. Now, his son is estimated to be giving less than half that, at 26 cents on every $100, and […]
Poverty is sexist: what Canada can do this Women’s Day to fight it
Globally, 130 million girls are denied the basic right to education, meaning 130 million missed opportunities for girls to reach their full potential and help their communities and countries grow. Before launching a career in television, I was an electrical engineer and still have a passion for math, science (and weather patterns, of course). I’m […]
Why famines hit Africa
LONDON, U.K.—For the first time in six years, there is famine in the world: a real, United Nations-declared famine, with more than 30 per cent of the affected population suffering acute malnutrition and more than a thousand people dying of hunger each day. And there are three more countries where famine may be declared any […]
Do as committees recommend and boost aid budget
The key metric that measures the level of a government’s assistance to developing countries, official development assistance (ODA), was set at a target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) by the OECD. According to the report Assessing Canada’s Global Engagement Gap, Canada averaged between 0.44 per cent and 0.47 per cent of […]
Shades of Trump in Bernier’s foreign aid policy, reader suggests
Why is it that international aid, much like music in the schools, is one of the first things to go when the budget gets tight? Regarding foreign aid, Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier has said: “Canada has to show solidarity and do its part…however, every year we spend millions of dollars funding job training, technology […]
Canada should show true leadership on development, says Calgary reader
Canada earns three times the world average income, while 72 per cent of the world population live in countries that are below the average. That puts us in the top 10 per cent of income earners globally. We are not quite the one per cent, but we are extremely rich. In a just world, those who have won the geographical lottery and […]
Bowling alone in the White House
In a 1995 essay, Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital, political scientist Robert Putnam lamented a decline in the social interaction that is so integral to civic engagement, democracy, and a country’s fundamental cultural fabric. In the U.S. he saw people disengaging from clubs, associations, voluntary organizations, even the Boy Scouts. In his view, the […]
Trump doctrine: where to cut the aid budget and feed millions
The United Nations and operational NGOs must be bracing for a major jolt as the Trump administration proceeds to rewrite the rules of U.S. engagement with the world. So must the word’s poor and vulnerable, who ultimately are targeted beneficiaries of development and humanitarian assistance. The New York Times recently reported leaked communication from the […]
