The global financial crisis is now centre stage in the Canadian election campaign, and the economy was a major discussion point during the leadership debates.
That emphasis was a reflection of voter concerns. A September poll released by CanWest News Service found that the economy trumped every issue on the political landscape, with a majority of Canadians saying it is their top concern in the upcoming election.
That same poll also illustrated another definite trend in the mindsets of Canadian voters.
International relations or foreign affairs policies beyond Afghanistan didn’t even register. Even national defense and military spending only garnered two per cent of the poll.
As usual, foreign policy is being relegated to the sidelines in this election. Even the military mission in Afghanistan hasn’t emerged as a crucial campaign point, while other important global issues like Canadian involvement in international organizations and foreign aid are largely ignored as politicians increasingly concentrate on domestic issues. Canadians might be forgetting that they are not the only ones with a vested interest in their leadership.
At the current rate, Canada contributes about $4 billion a year to foreign aid, all distributed by the Canadian International Development Agency. On the surface, that amount represents a substantial investment. But in terms of international giving, the percentage of GDP allocated to foreign aid is a more indicative measure. In those terms, Canadian governmental websites list Canada as giving about 0.3 per cent, or less than half of its targeted amount of 0.7 per cent, a goal already reached by nations such as Norway and Denmark.
Reaching that goal would require an increase to $10 billion a year in foreign aid, which is a massive amount when the troubled economy is the most pressing issue on voter’s minds. And yet none of the campaigns have shown any signs of promoting any credible programs for even slightly increasing foreign aid.
One reason might be that the aid program now is murky to many Canadian voters.
Afghanistan is by far the biggest single consumer of Canadian aid dollars right now. But how much is exactly being spent or where it is going has been a source of contention, because aid and military expenditures are closely intertwined in an active mission.
CIDA spent $280 million in Afghanistan for the fiscal year 2007-2008, though they themselves do not have a direct say in how the money is finally allocated.
Instead, organizations like the World Bank and various NGOs like World Vision or Oxfam Canada then distribute the funding, meaning that CIDA themselves don’t make the day-to- day decisions as to how the money is being spent.
CIDA does have programs to assess the efficiency and results of their aid giving, but many have accused CIDA of not following the money closely enough to see exactly how it is being utilized.
The effectiveness of aid in general is an issue that plagues every nation’s international giving, and undoubtedly any increase in spending would need to be accompanied by a more stringent auditing system to ensure the money was spent wisely.
The fact that Canadians know very little about Canada’s foreign aid program marks just how little of an issue it is. But aid is only one part of what seems to be a growing national disinterest in international policies and affairs.
Canada is a G8 nation and a powerful economic player in the world, all the more so because of its integration with American markets. While our role as an international peacekeeper has lost some of its validity, we do have a small but technologically advanced military that is actively involved in a combat mission in Afghanistan. Canada spent $18 billion on its defence budget last year, the sixth highest in NATO.
Yet our role in the world is largely undefined by Canadian politicians.
Compare that to the American elections, where international relations is one of the defining points and one of the reasons that John McCain is still in the running.
Here, it’s not even a real campaign point.
The fact is Canada could do more on the world stage. That includes an increased spending on foreign aid, particularly in nations with closely monitored programs and with quantifiable systems in place to actually make a difference.
That’s not easy. There aremyriad difficulties associated with effective aid, which means that poverty in general is not really declining despite the billions being spent annually. But aid makes a difference in people’s lives on small-scale levels. Foreign aid provides schools, water, food, and medicines that people in poorer nations desperately need. And aid also improves Canada’s international standing and influence in the developing world.
Aid is not the only tool of defining a more active role in the international community.
Canada could and should take a more active role in condemning humanitarian issues like the situation in Darfur, and create closer bonds with emerging powers like China, India, and Brazil, particularly economically. It doesn’t need to be the central priority for Canadian politicians, but it deserves more attention.
Canadians aren’t likely to see a lot of talk about international policies in this election, but once the dust has settled, voters and politicians might remember that Canada is just one country in a big world. Establishing a more important role abroad is a necessity for a nation that wants its voice heard on the international stage, and Canadians should not lightly give up their ability to help shape a changingglobal landscape.