Mr. Foster’s latest exposé follows columns (here and here) detailing CIDA and NGO interference with various mining operations around the world. His column today calls for CIDA to be dumped:[Strong] the self confessed socialist master-manipulator behind ...Kyoto, sustainable development and global governance.
...deliberately installed a vague agenda and loose controls over CIDA
...agenda to promote activist, leftist NGOs in the development field
I think I’ll write to the Minister responsible for CIDA and urge her to give it the axe.CIDA should be a candidate for the scrap heap, not because it has been ineffective in promoting development, but because it has become a prime factor in stopping it.
The solution to poverty is trade, investment and the rule of law... NGO activists ... should have less influence inside the gates of Ottawa.
Related
Letter to the editor from Kairos (CIDA funded NGO) chairman Father Paul Hansen protesting Peter Foster’s earlier column.
Also in today’s FP ‘Comment’ section along with Mr. Foster’s column is a letter from an Ecuadoran indigenous group to Mining Watch (funded in part by Kairos) protesting its anti-development activities which are helping to keep poor people in poverty.
CIDA also funds alternatives.ca. I received an e-mail from NGO Watch in Israel asking if I would like to avail myself of their information on Alternatives and that organizations activities in the ME. The Alternatives web site is a fascininating trip through the "Anti-Zionist" world.
ReplyDeleteAlternatives received about 4 million of our dollars directly from CIDA in the last fiscal year - for specific projects, some in conjunction with other organizations i.e. Mennonites. I am waiting till the fall to see what they currently receive ( they do not have to file a report until October as I recall).
Interestingly Alternatives used to fund Rabble.ca - Judy Rebicks creation. Rebick used to sit on Alternatives board. They made an arrangement that Rabble could claim it received no direct government funding by being "paid" for content it supplied to Alternatives.
Amazing how the left finds its way to the public trough.
I like that CIDA was kicked out of India;)
You do realize that there are different branches of CIDA, right?
ReplyDeleteOne branch will deal with diasters, another with international development and so on.
CIDA money cannot be applied to projects which have political or religious results. This being said, it is likely that Alternatives applies their funding to projects which do not have such an end goal.
How do you think it is possible for religious organizations, such as the Lutherans, the Dutch Reformed, the Anglicans, World Vision and even the Mennonites, to use CIDA money? They likely have religious programming but CIDA money does not get used in that. Because their funding also comes from their other sponsors, CIDA is merely an additional source used on non-Religious and non-Political projects.
Alternatives would likely do the same thing. Therefore no CIDA money would be used to support rabble.ca. Even if it were, when Alternatives would have been audited they would have had to account for using International Development money locally. And this would have gone against their agreement with CIDA.
CIDA may have been "kicked" out of India but that was for various reasons. CIDA funding still does flow into India through partner organizations such as the religious groups mentioned above. CIDA just is not the one administering the funds.
I also find it funny that you can hate an idea just because of the person who presented it. I guess that demonstrates the strength of your convictions. Following leaders is easy. Following an idea is more difficult.
BCF - you're really on top of this stuff! It seems that the more reasons there are to dump CIDA (the more snouts in the trough) the harder it is to dump it.
ReplyDeleteElijah - it looks to me like there isn't government program that you couldn't love. The various activist organizations cited should be free to pursue whatever cause they choose so long as it's legal. But I deeply resent tax dollars, coerced from my pocket, being pissed away on naive or phony do-gooders that are either counterproductive or actively destructive to people's welfare. Peter Foster's provides good evidence that CIDA is funding such groups.
"hate an idea just because of the person who presented it."??
Perhaps you didn't read the article. It's precisely because Maurice Strong's 'idea' continues to pervade CIDA's loosey-goosey left-slanted operations that there's a problem that needs correcting.
Elijah:
ReplyDelete"CIDA money cannot be applied to projects which have political or religious results."
That is absolutely correct as is the use of "fund accounting" to ensure money is spent on specific projects. Well that's the theory anyway. NGO Watch tells a very different story about Alternatives activities however. And why do I have to tolerate my tax dollars being funnelled through an antisemitic organization such as Alternatives? Answer- I don't. Rabble certainly has received funding via Alternatives and hence our tax dollars, check out the history of "One World" etc. As I said they are paid for content which allows them to claim an arms length relationship, it's a nice bit of sleight of hand.
"Following leaders is easy. Following an idea is more difficult. " and following a left wing ideology requires no effort at all;)