International development and humanitarian aid: in times of economic crisis, should Canada maintain its spending?
نویسندگان
چکیده
In Canada, although opinions vary on what specific measures are most appropriate to support our economy during the present economic crisis, most appear to agree that the federal government needs to intervene. In light of the broad support for financial rescue efforts aimed at the domestic economy, it seems fair to ask what portion of the Canadian budget, if any, should be allocated to international humanitarian aid and development. Humanitarian aid can be defined as the material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to a humanitarian crisis.1 The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity. It can be distinguished from official development assistance (ODA), which seeks to address the underlying socioeconomic factors that might have led to the crisis or emergency. In 1969, the Pearson commission, acknowledging that existing patterns of international aid were inadequate, recommended that 0.7% of Canada’s gross national product be allocated to ODA.2 In 2006, Canada’s ODA fell dismally short of the Pearson recommendation and hovered around 0.3%.3 The recent Harper budget of January 2009 made no mention of international assistance.4 With everyone’s attention turned toward the need to bolster the domestic economy, some would close the tap on international aid spending altogether. In this paper we outline why doing so would have dire consequences for our global neighbours and, ultimately, for Canadians. We then consider what our international assistance allocation should fund.
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ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien
دوره 55 6 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2009