Aga Khan above reproach
Contributions should not be tarnished
His Highness the Aga Khan is a remarkable human being and a force for pluralism in a world besieged by tyranny. At 80 years of age, he is now the longest living spiritual leader in the Islamic world, and a jewel for Canada as our own honourary citizen. His statesmanship has shaped the course of history — in the midst of the Cold War, he bridged Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva in his relentless pursuit for peace.
A lot of attention and media has recently been concentrated on the Aga Khan. Let me t ell you about the Aga Khan I have come to know, who I have come to deeply respect and admire, and who continues to be a powerful and irreplaceable force for good in a dangerous world.
Under the previous government, Canada invested in crucial development programming across the world that materially impacted the lives of the most imperilled. From Africa to the Middle East and Asia, the Aga Khan Development Network ( AKDN) is a shining model. International ai d agencies the world over aspire to achieve the effectiveness of the AKDN’s initiatives.
The Government of Canada and Aga Khan Foundation Canada have jointly funded initiatives that have improved the quality of life of well over a million people in some of the most marginalized places in the world over the last decade — helping people with jobs and income, spurring entrepreneurship, improving health care and education even in some of the world’s most remote locations. In East Africa alone, over 300,000 children are benefiting from improved education, and a new hospital in central Afghanistan will serve a population of 400,000, most of whom are women and children. The AKDN pioneers new and powerful ways to creating last- i ng change, paralleled perhaps only by the Gates Foundation.
This has not been a oneway street. Across Canada, the Aga Khan’s public parks and centres add to the rich tapestry of our national life.
In partnership with Canada’s Global Centre for Pluralism, His Highness has funded the multimillion- dollar rehabilitation of one of the capital’s critical heritage buildings, the former War Museum and Dominion Archives in Ottawa, saving it from disrepair and giving it a new global vocation.
The cultural complex and architectural treasure in Toronto that includes the establishment of the Aga Khan Museum, Ismaili Centre, and Aga Khan Park is another contribution. The construction of this world- class site provided 1.5 million hours of construction work during an economic downturn, engaging over a 100 subcontractors and dozens of Canadian suppliers. The opening of the museum was itself covered in media across over 50 countries and became Lonely Planet’s top reason to visit Toronto.
An ongoing demonstration of the remarkable symmetry between Canada and the Aga Khan was consecrated by prime minister Stephen Harper and the Aga Khan in the CanadaIsmaili Imamat Protocol of Understanding prior to the Aga Khan’s remarkable address in Parliament. The protocol shapes diplomatic, development and other j oint ventures between Canada and the Ismaili Imamat around the world.
It would be a perilous mistake to conflate this i mportant partnership and this great man, one who continues make a meaningful difference, with the excesses of the elite. Prime ministers and senior representatives are often afforded generous gestures; the responsibility to decline them politely rests on the public office holder.
The Aga Khan embodies Canadian values. There is no one alive today who I respect more or hold in higher esteem. His counsel during my tenure as foreign minister provided rare perspectives t hat can only be accrued by a man of his stature, having witnessed the world for as long as he has. It is unforgivable that the irr e s ponsible decisi ons of one individual could threaten to tarnish an exceptional leader’s lifetime of global statesmanship.
THE AGA KHAN IS A POWERFUL FORCE FOR GOOD. — JOHN R. BAIRD THE AGA KHAN EMBODIES CANADIAN VALUES.