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 […]
How farmers can fight climate change and hunger
Can improved agricultural practices help fight both climate change and hunger? Yes, according to one the world’s most esteemed climate scientists. In fact, when meting out money for mitigating climate change, Canada should prioritize supporting small family farming. James Hansen, who is the retired head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has warned […]
Taking care of others takes care of ourselves
As someone who advocates for official development assistance, I often hear protest about helping ours before helping others. What most don’t seem to realize is that foreign aid pays huge net returns for Canada. Our foreign assistance increases peace and political stability in poor nations: desperate people are ripe for exploitation by extremists and it’s a […]
‘With all the talk of Canada being back,’ aid groups ‘alarmed,’ told to expect little from budget
In a matter of months, Canadian-based foreign aid groups have gone from being optimistic to deflated about the chances the government might boost flat aid spending. When the government launched a full review of Canada’s aid policy last spring, groups were hoping the idea that Canada was coming “back” on the world stage would translate […]
Canada can only truly be back when we contribute our fair share
Justin Trudeau ventures across the country this week, selling the benefits of his government’s “Canada is back” slogan with efforts on climate, aboriginal rights, and the middle class. Surely an embarrassment will be the elephant in our closet: Canada’s abysmal record on foreign aid. Once a leader and indeed a world champion for aid, Canada […]
What to think about when changing Canada’s approach to foreign aid
OTTAWA—As the Canadian government prepares to unveil its new approach to international assistance, the challenges confronting global poverty, stability, and human rights are as great as they’ve been in more than a generation. Worldwide, more than 65 million people have been forced from their homes, including in places like Burundi, Mali, South Sudan, and Myanmar. […]
Canada can pick up where UN climate talks left off, help small-scale farmers
The Paris Agreement set the stage in 2015: agriculture and food matter to climate change. The Committee for World Food Security sent the same message to the world during its October meetings, that the climate is changing, so should our food. Agriculture was one of the important issues to be discussed at the UN climate […]
Government must stop dragging out decision on peacekeeping mission, say defence analysts
Details of exactly what the federal government wants to do in an African peacekeeping mission with the United Nations remains a mystery, but if it does want a three-year deployment, as it has suggested, experts say it may want to pick-up the pace and make some decisions. “I’ve been quite surprised at the fact that […]
