To
the editor:
More than 60 years ago the United Nations established Nov. 20 as Universal Children’s Day – a day where the rights and needs of children everywhere are acknowledged.
By all measures, the world has done an incredible job at improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable, but, of course, much remains to be done.
Sadly, Canada cannot take much credit for this because we have long lagged behind all other major developed nations in our commitment to foreign aid as a proportion of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
With the election of the Justin Trudeau federal government, many Canadians hope for a significant improvement in Ottawa’s sense of social responsibility, at home and abroad.
However, past Liberal governments began Canada’s steep decline in aid, a trend that only worsened under the Conservatives. Canada’s aid is parsimonious, barely one-third of it’s publicly declared goal of 0.7 per cent of GDP.
Improving Canada’s standing in the world has been one of Mr. Trudeau’s stated goals during the election campaign, and Universal Children’s Day is a great opportunity for him to show that this was not mere electioneering, and at last, increase aid funding for the world’s most vulnerable children.
Nathaniel Pool
Victoria
