Save Canadian Aid
At around just 2% of the annual federal budget, Canadian foreign aid is achieving real results in the lives of the world’s poor. From providing life-saving vaccines and treatment for deadly diseases, providing food aid to reduce starvation, to investing in agriculture and farming to fight poverty and hunger, it is making a massive difference.
But Canada’s spending on international development has been frozen for some time, and there are now discussions to cut that budget even more as the government looks for ways to reduce the deficit.
Please join me in calling on the Canadian government to protect critical international development funding.
The petition reads:
Dear Prime Minister Harper,
As you make what are difficult choices for the 2012-2013 federal budget, please protect critical international development funding that saves lives and helps the world’s poor pull themselves out of poverty.
Cuts to programs that fight global poverty won’t balance the budget, but they will risk slowing progress on Canada’s international development priorities and the success of existing programs that make a real difference to people in developing countries.
Please join me in taking action today.
Thanks for all you do.
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About the Blog
The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
12/01/2012 at 12:11 am
Unfortunately I cannot agree with this cause. I would rather see our hard earned taxes go towards looking after ourselves first. For MANY years we have been pouring Aid into these ‘poor’ countries – but it’s really only the politicians in those countries that prosper. China is taking over Africa and also pouring funds into those leaders pockets. Meanwhile, the local ‘poor’ inhabitants go without. I see no reason to aid and abet these crooks. Steven Harper is starting to realize that funding corruption in these countries is really not an option. To be fair – I talk only of what is going on in Africa. The population explosion hasn’t helped. The once robust farms that fed these countries are all but useless now. Ahh yes – those Governments took the farms away from productive farmers and gave them to locals to ‘help’ them become the providers – but, that didn’t work. Zimbabwe is a fine example of corruption in politics.
Leave our taxes here so that we can provide in just about any area that you care to mention. We WORKED for it and deserve a return on our investments for a change.
12/01/2012 at 3:00 am
jill is right on the issues concerning the corruption on the part of african leaders and the population explosion, but that cannot be an excuse for negleting people suffering in these countries. A buget cut would allow for individuals in these countries to give up entirely. An initiative can be taken to dea with the corruption. That aid could be the key to making one uneducated child’s dream come true, to help make his world a better place. Again the budget cut could prove to be disastrous becuase over-relying on just one nation may come with certain conditions that may be beyond the capacity on the poverty stricken nation. With the right people and structures in place these nation would benefit emmensely from the aid, and we’ll owe our gratitude to Canada for being reliable.