Canada's Foreign Aid "Shameful"

[bigdude]

Canada falls short in foreign aid cash, Lewis says

"Every time I'm in a meeting of internationalists, they ask me, 'What in God's name is wrong with Canada?' " he said.

"It is extremely embarrassing when we are the country that fashioned the target and now country after country is saying, 'We will reach the target by a certain year.' " Japan and the United States also have not set firm target dates.

Mr. Lewis said money is badly needed to distribute drugs to people infected with AIDS and to prevent the spread of the disease.

He said one million patients will be on a new treatment regimen by the end of this month, and that number should grow to three million by the end of next year.

But six million people are infected with the disease worldwide.

"So you can just imagine the numbers who will die while they are waiting for treatment to be rolled out," Mr. Lewis said.

"There is no reason in the world why we shouldn't be keeping all of those who are infected and require treatment alive."

How embarassing this must be for Mr Lewis working in conditions like that.

So much for PM Martin's pledge to Bono, eh!

I think our prime minister is a compulsive liar.

[kimmy]

Last time I heard, of all the money we'd promised for relief in the tsunami zone, only $50,000 had actually made it there. Of course sending the DART team there was probably quite expensive, but we've promised far more than we've delivered. I get the impression that promises of foreign aid are more about perception within Canada than perception in the international community.

I once told dad that I thought politicians just run around trying to put out fires. He told me "not quite... they're trying to get photographed near a fire while holding a bucket of water."

-k

[The Terrible Sweal]

Persnally, as a citizen and a taxpayer, foreign aid is at the bottom of my list ways to spend money. Until failed states can be re-institutionalized, most money spent in them won't provide lasting imrpovements. Partly because of tha futility, I also feel that we have issues with a higher ethical priority here at home.

If a rich man like Bono feels it's important to help the third world, I encourage him to do so with his own wealth and time. But frankly, I know a lot of secretaries and security guards here in Canada who need their tax dollars more than Bono needs his First-Class ticket to Bimini.

[Technocrat]

The problem is that 'foreign aid' is a complete BS word in of itself. The money sent is rarely used in a truly effective mannor because of a lack of organizational controls to enure that on a base level its distributed in an effective mannor.

The best foreign aid programs that I have ever encountered are ones that involve 'micro loans'. This is essentially money distributed at extremely low or non-existant interest rates to be paid back over a very long time. What this does is allow small scale economies to be built at local levels that directly benifit communities. I.e. Loans rarely exceeds $500 and is gaurenteed by another organization, so if the person getting the loan cannot for whatever reason pay it back they are not out of their house and home. The loan application must demonstrate that at some level the people will benifit from it and that it will generate a money flow. This is in stark contrast to INF and WB systems that favor attempting to build an economy on a macro level(and btw have so far failed miserably).

As far as the tsunami(sp?) regions they have no shortage of money or supplies, the problem is that their governments are to slow, inept and effecient to direct the rebuilding effort and distribution of money. Just throwing money at problems is hardly a solution, although it sometimes does make you feel all warm and squishy...

[willy]

Like many other problems, the amount of money is not a good measure of effect.

Unfortunately under this government we have not achieved either in international aid.(money or effect)

Put simply we spend less and the money we do spend is wasted.

Our friends on the left on this forum seem to value the lives in our boarders more than those in disadvantaged areas like Africa. Why, where you were born should matter, I don’t know?

We are a rich country. It takes work and diligence and a little luck but we are fortunate. I would suggest it isn’t because we deserve it.

A person who believes that you should ignore the world problems confuses me to no end. We may not have a responsibility but we have an opportunity. When we use money wisely peoples lives are saved from hunger and if we are real good a few may get an education. The seeds for future stability lie in long term visionaries who do what they can. I would never suggest that we can solve the world tragedies but by doing nothing we add to their severity and the suffering.

How we impact these areas and offer our aid is all based on political ideology. IMO we should support the many caring NGO’s well placed to offer food, clean water and education to areas that are devastated by war and drought.

Our government many times wastes our money by creating new organizations and building Canadian jobs that eat up 80% of the resources and leave little impact. This should not happen.

[cybercoma]

Persnally, as a citizen and a taxpayer, foreign aid is at the bottom of my list ways to spend money.  Until failed states can be re-institutionalized, most money spent  in them won't provide lasting imrpovements.  Partly because of tha futility, I also feel that we have issues with a higher ethical priority here at home.

If a rich man like Bono feels it's important to help the third world, I encourage him to do so with his own wealth and time.  But frankly, I know a lot of secretaries and security guards here in Canada who need their tax dollars more than Bono needs his First-Class ticket to Bimini.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As painful as this is...I couldn't agree more with Sweal. You couldn't be anymore on target with this post.

This is the same reason countries like the US and Japan won't agree to the dollars demanded. They believe they're in control of their countries and should be able to decide themselves waht they can donate, not be told by some group outside the country how much they HAVE to provide.

[Fortunata]

Last time I heard, of all the money we'd promised for relief in the tsunami zone, only $50,000 had actually made it there.  Of course sending the DART team there was probably quite expensive, but we've promised far more than we've delivered. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If I remember correctly Martin said that our aid would be delivered in stages, when it was needed and when it could be most effectively used. Anyone remember this?

I get the impression that promises of foreign aid are more about perception within Canada than perception in the international community.

Yes, we pride ourselves on helping the unfortunates and in reality we do very little. Of course if you listen to the party in power (whichever it may be) we are doing a lot; everything we possibly can. Many people actually believe we do.

I once told dad that I thought politicians just run around trying to put out fires.  He told me "not quite... they're trying to get photographed near a fire while holding a bucket of water."

That sums it up very nicely.

[Guest eureka]

The US does not agree with the dollars demanded because it gives little aid other than "tied" aid. That is, aid that is tied to US advantage.

[August1991]

Persnally, as a citizen and a taxpayer, foreign aid is at the bottom of my list ways to spend money.  Until failed states can be re-institutionalized, most money spent  in them won't provide lasting imrpovements.  Partly because of tha futility, I also feel that we have issues with a higher ethical priority here at home.

If a rich man like Bono feels it's important to help the third world, I encourage him to do so with his own wealth and time.  But frankly, I know a lot of secretaries and security guards here in Canada who need their tax dollars more than Bono needs his First-Class ticket to Bimini.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree, TS. You express well my own thoughts.

[bigdude]

What a cop out!

Look you can always find an excuse NOT to contribute, and you can rationalize Not to do almost anything like you two have. The reality is though that this does nothing to solve the problem, and the problem needs to be addressed.

Canada has a huge abundance of every material thing possible - what's wrong with sharing what is the percentage Bono requested, 0.07% of our GNP. Wow, what a staggering amount. It will probably bankrupct Canada NOT!

The overriding reason for government in a social democracy is to take resources away from the mean-spirited greedy folks and redistribute it to the needy. I wish Stephen Lewis would run for political office again.

[mcqueen625]

I'm with Tweal on this one. Over 15 years ago Canada made a committment ot eliminate child poverty in Canada by the year 2000. Here it is 2005 and the poverty rate is getting worse every year. The gap betwen rich and poor is getting larger as we speak, and you're talking about foreign aid. We need to spend money inside Canada to help our own before we continue to spend money in that bottomless pit called the UN and it's agencies.

I have been involved in the food bank industry for over 7 years and at our little food bank the statistics continue to increase at alarming rates. These people in many cases are not on income assistance (welfare), they actually work at jobs. Costs of everything, including food, heating cost, medicines, gasoline, and the list could go on and on, and wages have just not kept pace with these increases in the cost of living. Corporations continue on with their greed for profits and they could care less whether people have any food on the table, it simply doesn't concern them. IN my Province of New Brunswick, our own Premier had the gaul to suggest that the people of the Province could not only afford a 10%-12% increase in their power rates, but support the increase. That's the type of atttitude coming from a Premier? No wonder corporations feel unhindered in increasing their rates for every other item associated with the necessities of life.

It is simply shameful for a country as rich as Cnada to have people relying on food banks and soup kitchens to stave off the hunger pangs. Then we have people like MR. Lewis more interested in people in foreign countries, than he is with those right here in Canada. I care about those in other countries who are starving and suffering from terrrible diseases, but we need to look after our own first before we can think about other's. We have plenty of kids right here in Canada going to bed hungry. Now I'll get down off the soap-box.

[Melanie_]

Bigdude, I agree with you. Canada is able to contribute to the developing world, while still maintaining (and expanding) a social safety net for those Canadians who need it; the two are not mutually exclusive. I don't mean to diminish those people in Canada who are living in poverty, but it is a relative term when you look at people who are starving in tents in refugee camps, have been wounded or raped and have no access to medical attention, don't know where their children are or even if they are alive. BUT, we need to be sure that the money Canada gives for these people actually makes it to them; the money can't go from government to government, but rather should be given to NGOs that actually can get to the people.

It's fine to say people should give their own money if the spirit moves them; but we get caught up in our own lives, and the generosity we feel when we see the tsunami on TV soon gets replaced by our fascination with the Michael Jackson trial or the frustration of having to replace the transmission on our cars. And I don't know about you, but I get phone calls constantly from one deserving cause or another asking for a donation. I give to some, not to others, based not so much on the cause but rather on my means at the time. There is a place for private donations to causes like Amnesty International or the Red Cross, but our government represents our belief as Canadians that we can share our wealth with those in need.