Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Actions Speak Louder Than Op-Eds
Stephen Harper has announced (in the Toronto Star of all places) that he will now try to encourage the UN to focus efforts on helping prevent infant mortality and deaths during pregnancy and childbirth. While I applaud the Prime Minister's sentiment, this is one of heck of a Saul on the road to Damascus conversion. It will shock no one that a disproportionate amount of infant mortality is centred in the sub-Saharan Africa. Under Stephen Harper, Canada has abandoned sub-Saharan Africa in favour of more work in the Americas. While that is a defensible foreign policy position, it does not set up the Prime Minister well to actually do anything to solve the problems he outlines in his article. I won't even get into the question of how exactly he's going to pay for such an ambitious foreign aid agenda.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Perhaps if he were serious about infant mortality, he would go back to the Kelowna Accord and give Canadian Aboriginals a fair shake. If you take a look at the infant mortality rates in Canada, you'll see that they are nearly double in northern communities and in provinces with the highest population of aboriginals living in poverty. In fact, he didn't really have to DO anything, all he had to do was leave something in place that Martin had built. Rather than help, he tore it down.
Now he's trying to hide his real face under a Mr. Helpful mask, with a trail of destruction behind him.
S
"If you take a look at the infant mortality rates in Canada, you'll see that they are nearly double in northern communities and in provinces with the highest population of aboriginals living in poverty."
It's worse actually - it's triple the mortality rate.
Harper, being hypocritical again. What a farce he is.
Canada was shocked when it saw images of young kids sniffing gasoline in garbage bags to get high.That happened during a campaign during the Chretien years.Nothing changed.
Liberals suggesting that it is only the problem of other people that native communities are in such a sad state of affairs are living in denial.
The "natural governing party" loves to take credit for healthcare and mothers allowance etc. but dismiss the problems of society or worse blame others. It is one of the reasons this party should not govern.
Harper just last week cut off all Canadian funding to UNFPA, which focuses on Mother & Infant morality in the Developing world. Harper has instituted numerous cuts & cancellations ever since he came into office to undermine & destroy rights & protections of Canadian Women. Harper has never before "noticed", as he apparently has in Davos, that women & children under 5 dies everyday all over the world, including in Canada, for lack of basic needs being met. He is so incredibly hypocritical that I have absolutely NO idea how the man can stand to look in the mirror. A complete poseur. All Image & absolutely NO substance!
PS Ummmm, hey - Anonymous. Alert! - the post is not about the liberals or about gas sniffing kids or whatever you're on about. Try to focus.
Can nurse;
You obviously didn't read the other comments. The Kelowna Accord was used as an example. This covers a lot more than infant mortality.
The single greatest cut to programs essential to women and children was the cuts Libs made to healthcare. Tens of billions were taken out. But I suppose this is off topic to you so you'll continue to cherrypick your outrages as has been common with Libs as of late.
Interesting how the post went off topic.
Regarding the Aboriginal File the Liberals like the environment did little to nothing.
Since 2006 how many projects have been completed to provide clean water that were neglected by the previous gov't.
According the CTF website who did an analysis on EAP the big winners are?
How much in housing is being allocated?
Aaron,
Harper is correct to get the leaders to be practical or realistic and stop making promises they have NO intention in keeping.
Oxfam and a few others have noted the real progress Canada has made in delivering on their promises.
Great post Aaron btw.
Post a Comment