The Last Straw

Last evening I spoke to a crowded hall of students and professors at McGill University in Montreal, sharing the event with the executive director of one of Canada’s most esteemed non-governmental organizations.The subject was the political realities of Canada’s role in international development, primarily CIDA, and the frustration in the hall was palpable. For these students and their instructors, the recent budget announcements of the last week represented the end of the road. Not fooled by the sophistry, they had finally become convinced that the present government had now revealed its hand when it came to the world’s poor, especially Africa.There was no ambiguity. Based upon the projections of last year’s budget, CIDA will have its budget cut by some $4.4 billion over the next 4-5 years, with the deepest portion of that being the loss of $1.8 billion in one single year.  This represents the largest cut to any department, a full 25% of all the deficit cutting measures laid out in the budget itself. The Conservatives say they are merely freezing expenditures over that time, but based on their projections of last year it has now become apparent that, for this budget anyway, the deficit will be largely dealt with on the back of the world’s poor.The leader of the NGO last night readily confirmed what the students themselves had sensed with the budget: Canada’s investment in the poorest of the poor began to erode years ago but has now suffered its ultimate betrayal. NGOs, partner countries, and multi-lateral partners who counted on this country to fulfill last year’s projections now understand that the game is up.There figures become even more troubling when you look just a bit below the surface. Not content with pulling out of 8 African countries last year, CIDA now projects an 8.5% decrease from the poorest nations of the world over the next year. A further 8.5% will be cut from assistance to fragile countries and crisis affected communities. To those who say that all have to share the burden for our deficit cutting measures, consider that middle-income countries will actually enjoy an 11% increase in CIDA funding.Now consider this figure: CIDA’s Canadian Engagement Fund, destined to become the humanitarian equivalent of the government’s Canada Action (propaganda) Plan, will receive a 370% increase in the next year! No one saw that coming. All that money being spent in Canada while cutting our investments to the poorest of the poor was more than the students could bear last night.The gig is up folks. What international development students and experts have been sensing for the past number of years has finally been revealed in its true and unattractive colours. Through its Canadian Engagement Fund, CIDA now begins the offloading of international obligations to non-governmental organizations. The plan is to provide such Canadian care-giving organizations the funds in Canada to take on more of the load internationally, while CIDA itself ramps up its investment in richer countries that represent more lucrative business opportunities for Canada itself.One would have thought that despondency last night would have been the main trait that resulted from the budget, but instead it was anger – frustration at being duped, deceived and demeaned. With the G8 and G20 in Canada this year, and with the PM’s promise to lead the those partner countries into a more desperate world, one wonders who they will follow after reading this budget.Last night a large number of students at one of this country’s esteemed universities simply said “enough.” They’re already taking plans of action. If that sentiment finds its complement in other regions across the country, this Conservative budget of betrayal might well have started a movement, the end of which might be a citizen’s movement that will propel us back into the world. It’s now in their hands because the government of the day just bailed.