HYPOCRISY! A Letter to the Government of Canada (Day 67 - September 27, 2011)

Every so often, happenings in the world capture my attention to the point that I must blog about them instead of the daily happenings in That Poverty Project.  Today is such a day as I cannot contain myself in light of the hypocrisy that I am witnessing. 

There is no doubt that the world is watching the European debt crisis closely as it will impact all of us, especially the most vulnerable.  The Canadian government, along with others, is taking a stand to encourage a course of action that it believes is best for the world's economy.  A few days ago I saw a report involving Canadian Minister of Finance, The Hon. Jim Flaherty, which I have not been able to get out of my head. Why?  The words he chose in stating Canada's response to the European crisis were a glaring example of hypocrisy when compared with Canada's insufficient response to extreme poverty in the world.  Accordingly, I have written the following letter to Mr. Flaherty addressing my concern . . .

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September 27, 2011

House of Commons

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A6

Attention:  Minister of Finance, The Hon. Jim Flaherty

Dear Sir:

RE:  Troubling Discrepancy Between Canada's Position on European Debt & Elimination of Extreme Poverty

Without a doubt Canada is directly impacted by the actions of European governments in how they handle the current debt crisis, and so Canada should be speaking out to express its concerns in order to protect Canadians and others around the world.  To this end, I have been watching your comments on behalf of Canada with great interest.  In particular, I watched an interview you did with CBC on Friday September 23, 2011, which was reported in an article found at CBC On-Line Article.  In that interview you implored the European leaders to (i) find the political will to do what needs to be done and (ii) keep their promises made at the meeting of G20 Finance Ministers held in Washington DC earlier that day. I agree that the Europeans must find the political will to do what is needed, and they should keep their promises.  After all, it's the right thing to do.

However, your statements lack the intended moral conviction unless Canada does the same with the commitments it has made.  Just as Canada is affected by the current actions of the Europeans, those living in extreme poverty are directly impacted by the actions of Canada and other developed nations.  In 2005, Canada was a signatory to the UN's 0.7% Solution to make serious progress towards alleviating extreme poverty.  Canada made this commitment of 0.7% of its GDP towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals in order to benefit the people who are most vulnerable in the world.  Accordingly, those living in extreme poverty are looking to Canada to (i) find the political will to do what needs to be done and (ii) keep our promises.  Unlike many of the other signatories, Canada has failed to keep its promise . . . currently meeting barely half of its committed amount while not even creating a strategy to meet its commitment. This failure to keep our promises has resulted in many people remaining in extreme poverty who could have been helped, and millions dying needlessly from preventable causes.

I encourage you to rectify these inconsistencies in our policy, and find the political will to keep our promises to the poor . . . both in Canada and around the world.  Lives literally depend on it.

Sincerely,

Sean D. Krausert

That Poverty Project

www.thatpovertyproject.com

cc.  The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada

cc.  Mr. Blake Richards, MP for Wild Rose

cc.  Leaders of the NDP, Liberals, and Green Party

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In addition to the above noted government elected officials, I am also sending this letter to various newspapers.  It's important that all of us everywhere be a voice in shaping the type of society in which we want to live.


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