Canada watering down G8 African aid commitments: activists
Canada came under fire on the first day of the Group of Eight summit for lagging behind other G8 nations in delivering aid to the world's poorest countries.
Moreover, anti-poverty activists accused Canada of blocking a push by the United States to have the G8 leaders commit to improving health care in Africa.
"We're very concerned about the Canadians in particular," said Max Lawson, a spokesman for Oxfam International. "We're hearing that there are issues around attempts to water down the language on health."
Couple the above, with an active effort to waterdown any climate change comminique and you have a very successful trip. Yo Harper, get home soon, Canada's reputation can't take much more!
16 comments:
Leading the world! - Like a Judas goat...
mike
That is a great reference.
Wat r u compainin abut?
Harper's got his photo op with cute Japanese kids (BC votes).
He bullied a few African leaders on Mugabe. Bonus leadership points there. I can just see the ad -- Harper pointing his finger, like Reagan in the case of the Berlin Wall, telling Africans "Tear down that Mugabe".
Harp won't give the same speech with China where his buddy, Yo Bush, is going for the Olympics, or with the equally repressive North Korean Kim who just signed a peace treaty (also with Yo Bush).
Still, Harper is leading the world, one photo-op and one soundbite at a time.
Leave it to a Liberal to cherry pick what they want to hear from an article. How about the Telegraph in the UK and their comments of:
The trouble is that - partly because of the surging commodity prices that have made all incumbent regimes unpopular - G8 is led by politicians who lack authority.
Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and Gordon Brown are disliked at home; George Bush is a lame duck; Silvio Berlusconi is changing the law to indemnify himself; Dmitri Medvedev is regarded as Vladimir Putin's creature and, in any case, Russia does not merit inclusion in the G8 by virtue either of its democratic structures or the size of its economy; Yasuo Fukuda, the host, has just become the first ever Japanese leader to have a censure vote passed against him in parliament.
Of all the leaders, only Stephen Harper - the talented but curiously neglected Canadian prime minister - is able to point to a popular and successful record in office.
Some will regard it as alarming that, in current times, world leadership should rest with Canada. But the Canadian Tories are a model of how to behave during a downturn.
They have kept spending in check and reduced taxes. They are playing their full role in world affairs, notably in Afghanistan.
Rather than canting about saving the world (Mr Harper, in his quiet and courteous way, is a Kyoto-sceptic) they have addressed themselves to curing remediable ills and, above all, to putting their own affairs in order.
If the rest of the world had comported itself with similar modesty and prudence, we might not be in this mess.
To bad Canadians won't respect our PM as much as he is respected internationally! The Liberals persist in saying he is damaging our reputation internationally. Guess not! Keep up the great work PM Harper.
You really should read the "whole" article.
stupid
Did I cherry pick the title of the article?
LOL.
Harper respected internationally? LOL.
My girlfriend was in Germany vacationing around the Xmas break -the regular citizen do not think much of Harper at all.
Yup, Harper, the big human rights guy is just so charitable isn't he?
He's an embarrassment - he even looks awkward talking to the other leaders.
0.28 per cent of GDP dedicated to foreign aid. Is this willful neglect or what?
Yes, Harper Cons will be arguing that the Grits have been cutting down on foreign aid under Chretien. Of course, we will not be expecting the Cons to do much.
Watering down the language. This seems like a cynical attempt to appease the social conservatives. No money for birth control etc.
Might as well have Baird screaming "Charity begins at home!" when dealing with foreign aid.
In Europe, growups prevail on the environment. But we instead have a Harper holding a Bush's hat. Shameful and embarrassing.
It's completely humiliating to Canadians. And tying aid for the continent of Africa to Zimbabwe. I can see aid for Zimbabwe sure but the other goes too far. Just a white man sitting on his high frickin high horse dissing the poor folk so he can continue stealing their dinner.
I honestly think Mugabi is just a pawn, allowing Harper to look forceful on something, to offset the criticism he knew he would receive on other issues. I don't see any sincerity, although I largely agree, it's just a convenient diversion, hatched for partisan purposes.
The Mugabe thing (don't think Harper even knew where Zimbabwe was before he became PM) may aslo have to do with a Mulroney op-ed piece urging more Canadian leadership in the Gazette recently.
Ironic, if true, since Harper has ordered everyone in his government not to have any contact with that man, Brian Mulroney.
Steve,
Lawson is a professional aid lobbyist. He has publicly criticized many other western nations and has the same amount of credibility as... a pharmaceutical lobbyist or Joe Volpe.
If you are going to storm the hill, get a little more information.
How much money is Canada giving? How much is that per capita? How much are other western nations giving? How much are we giving to Haiti? How much are other western nations giving to Haiti?
Are we increasing or decreasing our aid? are we increasing or decreasing the number of attached strings? Are we working to help people stuck in countries like Zimbabwe by working for their freedom, or ignoring them?
Before you run Lawson's PR up the flag pole to pelt Harper with, look for corroboration.
"Are we increasing or decreasing our aid? are we increasing or decreasing the number of attached strings? Are we working to help people stuck in countries like Zimbabwe by working for their freedom, or ignoring them?"
Tomm,
The article linked by Steve says it all. 0.28 per cent of GDP dedicated to foreign aid. A far cry from 0.7 per cent proposed in the 1960s by Pearson and the 1.0 per cent by 2020. This is shameful performance, maybe even worse than Canada's record on climate change. Because babies in Africa die faster and are dying now.
Working to help people get out of Zimbabwe. Maybe Harper can call Baird, Kenney, and Anders to hire Mark Thatcher. Mark has contacts with mercenaries who can overthrow a tin pot dictator like Mugabe.
Just shut the friggin up and do something.
Shroom,
"Pearson"?
Your pounding me over th head with a PM from 50 years ago?
Pound me over th head with Chretien, Turner, Trudeau, and Martin.
Come on man.
Which despot, dictator or thug do you wish to support? Until Africa gets its shit together, which looks like it will be the first of never, why should we send them money?
The UN Oxfam clown needs to go back to NY and look after the zoo on the river they call the UN. Its just about as disfunctional as most African countries.
I am amazed by the mindless lefties that want to give my money away, usually with no strings . . . wasn't that how Arafat amassed his millions.
"Which despot, dictator or thug do you wish to support? Until Africa gets its shit together, which looks like it will be the first of never, why should we send them money?"
Oldtool,
So charity begins at home, right? Well, since you have no interest in helping the homeless, aboriginal communities, and drug addicts, I don't feel your questions deserve an answer.
Hope you are having fun laughing at homeless people who are eating leftovers from the recycling bin. Might as well incinerate your garbage too, Oldtool. Can't let food go to waste on the lesser breeds.
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