Canada should increase foreign-aid commitment

I hope that as this election campaign progresses, and more and more promises are made to the electorate, at least one party will make a promise to reverse the cuts to overseas development. This would mean more money to provide food for the world’s hungry, more money to protect children in war-torn countries, more money to provide antiretroviral drugs to treat AIDS, more money to improve maternal, newborn and child health and more money for children’s education and lifelong learning.

The U.K. recently enshrined its 0.7 per cent commitment in law, the first G7 nation to legislate this UN Development Goal. We want to see Canada match — or surpass — that commitment.

If Canadians really want to help the poorest countries in the world, there are better ways to do it than by deploying military personnel and weaponry. These countries need help developing functional economies and creating governmental infrastructure.

To do this requires the establishment of training programs, improved communications technology, the building of schools, hospitals and colleges.

This is nothing new. Nearly 50 years ago, Canada committed to contribute 0.7 per cent of gross national income for overseas development every year.

Alas, we have increasingly fallen short of that goal; our current contribution is only 0.24 per cent — the lowest since 2003. We can do better.

Karen McIvor Grandmothers Advocacy Network Victoria