A global call for Canada’s financial assistance
By Letter to the Editor on February 23, 2018.
In our increasingly interconnected world, we must acknowledge the millions of people living in a poverty we will never fully comprehend. Yes, there is poverty in Canada but there’s no good reason we can’t address both the poverty here and the poverty abroad. We are one of the richest countries on the planet, making it even more shameful that, at 0.26 per cent of GNI, we have one of the smallest budgets for Official Development Assistance (ODA) among wealthy donor countries. At over one per cent of GNI, Sweden and Norway, with a fraction of our population, give the most. Alleviating poverty around the globe benefits us all. Clean water and healthy food results in less conflict and disease and makes children more able to learn. Education for all results in prosperity and the innovation and skills that will be needed to adapt to a rapidly changing world. In the upcoming federal budget, I expect to see an increase in our Official Development Assistance. If Sweden and Norway can give so much, why can’t Canada give a little more. Paulie Duhaime Calgary 9-8
The answer is simple Paulie, it’s because Albertans were willing to allow a so-called conservative government to give away billions in royalties and taxes to benefit their rich friends and are still willing to let Jason Kenney and his band of Reformers to continue to do so. Norway and Sweden weren’t that stupid. We know that Albertans lost about $350 Billion, that could have made a lot of people’s lives, especially us seniors , a lot better.