Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Why Irish eyes are smiling, and other tales of Canadian largesse…


It would seem that the Department of External Affairs and various federal aid agencies need to revise a few lists.

The National Post has just conducted an audit of sorts into the destination of Canadian foreign aid and some surprising nations are standing in the line waiting for a cheque or two.

Done part tongue in cheek to mock Bono’s recent charges that Canada is not pulling its weight in the world these days, the article actually provides some interesting data regarding how the Federal Bureaucracy doles out our foreign aid dollars to nations, some of which you wouldn’t particularly think are in need of assistance from us.

And while I have an affinity to the land of my ancestors, I’m having a problem understanding why Canada is providing foreign aid to both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Canadian aid was funneled through International Fund for Ireland, by the Department of Foreign Affairs which has provided some $7.7-million for job creation and reconciliation projects in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Both of which have a higher per-capita GDP than Canada, in fact Ireland has been held up as kind of a shining knight of economic prosperity and affluence of late and well no wonder if they’re getting funds from afar.

Venezuela awash in oil money, still kept the cheque for $3-million it got from Canada in humanitarian assistance in 2004-05. While they can purchase submarines and jets, subsidize anti government movements in many nations and even provide cheap oil for US citizens in a cold winter, they still found the time to open up the mail and cash Canada’s contribution.

One of the big hitters when it comes to foreign aid is China, which has been the recipient of 57 million dollars in Canadian funding in the last year, this despite the fact that it’s economy is charging along changing the world dynamic. Currently they on a buying spree of warships, missiles and other military items, as well as pushing plans for exploring space.
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Of late they’ve taken to investigating companies and land in Canada to purchase and run from Beijing. It’s something that folks in Podunk know all too well, with the status of Watson Island now part of some slowly formulating Chinese economic plan. All of this has been going on while Canadians send money overseas in the form aid. Never really sure in any tangible way as to where those millions are going.

Poland was another big winner in the Canada grant sweepstakes, that nation received $61-million in humanitarian assistance in 2004-05, all while they were preparing their bid to join the European Union. A group of nations that haven’t been having many tag days of late.

Canadians rightly want to do the right thing, helping out those nations that are truly in need and are willing to help solve their own problems in a peaceful way. Bono is probably right when he points out that we don’t spend enough on African issues and other truly poor parts of the world would no doubt welcome whatever assistance we could spare. What Canadians need to do is to get the message across that Canada needs to allocate its kindness to those that are most in need, the list of those getting a fair share of Canadian dollars seem to be those that aren’t.

The folks of Ireland and Poland can probably take care of themselves now and won’t miss our dollars at all. While China and Venezuela should be prepared for a life without Canadian funding as well, they’re in sufficient financial health that they can invest in a military explosion of buying the latest toys, all while not offering their people a particularly democratic outlook on events. They can probably do just fine without the yearly stipend from Ottawa.

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