Out of Africa - The Responsbility to Neglect

I was pulled out of the Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday to appear on "Politics" with Don Newman. The subject was Rwanda and the recent CIDA cut of humanitarian dollars to that troubled nation. I respect Newman more than most because he's nobody's fool, seasoned and incisive. But when I got to the Parliamentary Rotunda for the interview, I was told the session would last only four minutes and that I was to be on with Jim Abbott, Parliamentary Secretary for CIDA. I like Abbot well enough but I instantly knew there would be no time to really get to the nub of the issue. And sure enough, that's exactly what happened. There was only time for three questions - the first and last to Abbot, with my response sandwiched in the middle. Abbott did what he was supposed to do - spout the government line - and at the end of the interview people were more confused than ever.There was no chance to explore the fact that the Rwandan ambassador to Canada, who only discovered the cuts from a press release while outside Canada, has bravely challenged the Canadian's government's raw treatment of aid to that country. More time might have dug into the reality that, while the government says it's doubling aid dollars to Africa, they are merely emergency "tsunami" type funds, not the kind of development investments necessary for any devastated country to emerge from the rubble.Make no mistake, Canada's present exit strategy means it's now out of the African development business.  It's hardly the kind of new internationalism we've been talking about.  It's the Responsibility to Neglect.  That's the government choice, but good journalism wouldn't let this trend take place by merely accepting the government's standard line. We're not doing an effective job as an Opposition either. Sensing there could be damage, Minister Beverly Oda held a special news conference yesterday touting the doubling of aid to the troubled continent. In examining the media reports this morning, there was no mention of what it would mean to African nations or the observation that you don't take money from devastated people to give it to less-devastated people. Our humanitarian aid is in the process of "morphing" and it's being done with little proper media scrutiny. This isn't about political "nuance" but life and death funds.And Rwanda? No other country carries such a deep imprint on the Canadian mindset. On April 7th, we commemorate the resolution passed unanimously last year at this time which acknowledged the genocide in Rwanda and that we would deal with it by stating that "never again" would such a thing be permitted. Well, we're in the process of forgetting our own debt to that country and the horrors that emanated because the world community refused to act. Rwanda was showing positive signs of growth and development and just as the anniversary for Canadian accountability comes around, this country says "see ya'."  God help us.To my friends in the media, we can do better than this.  And to Romeo Dallaire, who must have tossed and turned all night (sleepless in the battle), my condolences, my friend.