Damian Brooks has read the overview of Canada's newly released International Policy Statement . For the most part, he's impressed with what he sees.
Me? I'm settling into Grimm's Fairy Tales while others wait for the $400 million in Canadian tsunami aid announced 4 months ago.
I was approached by angry and frustrated young Canadian soldiers asking me if I would donate some money, along with theirs, so they could buy parts for the 1960s motors they were working on.They also asked me if I would take pictures of them giving their groundsheets to the people in a displaced persons' camp. I refused. I know from experience what would happen to their careers when the bureaucrats in Ottawa found out.
All 200 of us realized very quickly that the money promised on Jan. 3 by the Prime Minister of Canada was not going to arrive, even though the interest alone on the original $80 million would have accomplished miracles.
What we received instead were arrogant and nasty members of the non-governmental organization community, led by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The NGOs made it very clear that they did not like working with the military. This was not going to be a joint effort.
The DART asked CIDA for spark plugs, points, condensers, alternators and distributors to get the Sri Lankan fishermen back on the water. The answer from the CIDA representative: "I've sent a request to Ottawa."
Three and a half weeks into the Canadian mandate, a meagre $50,000 was released with great pomp. It probably represented two days' interest on the amount of money CIDA is sitting on.
Average Canadians donated their money to get tsunami victims immediate help, not years later. The Sri Lankans have been told by their own media that Canadians have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to help them. Four months later the bureaucrats in Hull are playing God, not just with taxpayers' dollars, but with donated money that came with no strings attached--windfall for CIDA and its contractors.
Where is the $425 million? The NGOs and CIDA have an automatic response: "We're here for the long term." In other words, don't ask, because it's none of your business.
Meanwhile, the people of Sri Lanka are in exactly the same condition they were in one week after their lives were shattered by a wave 32 feet high travelling at 500 miles an hour. If you were among the millions of Canadians who donated to tsunami relief, aren't you curious about what happened to your money?
Me, curious? Not really. I just know it's the last donation I'll ever give to an organization that promises matching Canadian government funding.
You would think that our media would be all over this question. But they're remarkably silent.
The Congressional investigation underway into UN Oil For food just might be interested in this question though. They might just be able to do some triangulation. The result might discredit some important Foreign Relation initiatives. That would be a pity.
Perhaps someone with a scintilla of patriotism left that knows something would like to have the question quietly answered within Canada, rather than splashed all over the US. If so, a discrete email might just accomplish that.
The ndp & lieberals have met and united their parties... a political SSM. Congrats to M & J.
The dowry is being paid to the tune of $250,000,000 per ndp MP X 19= Go figure...
The G-G is ecstatic... pink/red champagne for dinner & oodles of cheese/fromage from La Belle France, courtesy Jack Chirac. Saddam sends regrets he will be unable to attend.. pressing business, he says....
The rings are on their way on a Challenger jet... from Vancouver.... a double ring ceremony it is...
Nealenews link..
CIDA and all the NGO that it regularly has sex with are as corrupt at the Liberals and the AdScam advertisoing companies.
CIDA funding is based out of Montreal and Quebec agencies dominate it. Its is just evil at work
We need a CIDA Gomery inquiry . . it would turn up such a cesspool of corruption it would make AdScam look lke amateur hour.
While we are at it . . Harper should be pounding MArtin to reveal what he/Fiberals are hiding inteh Crown corporations and the off-book "Foundations"
New engagement happening, Martin/Layton, images anyone:
http://ragingranter.blogspot.com/
Kate, another great post. Where will the lying, graft and corruption end? I suspect that if (as some have suggested here) CIDA's books were audited we'd have another scandal.
I pledged my donation directly to the Red Cross. I'm a little more confident in that organization than I am the Liberal government. I was under the impression that the matching donation was to be made to the organization it was to be matched with. Little did I realise that it would sit in CIDA's bank account collecting interest. Maybe it's paying for Liberal Party ads in Quebec. Shame on me for putting away the cynicism, however briefly.
I think anything the liberano government had its hands on was a scam. They have been getting away with it for so long they got sloppy and got caught. You look deep enough and the scams will start piling up.
You can't blame the charities - the money we personally sent them has been put to use. I noticed in the news releases about the matching program something about CIDA holding the gov't collection, but wasn't paying much of any attn to politics at that time, so didn't see the red flag (not the first I missed - thank God for the flaming arrow through my living room that was the publication ban, or I'd still be just catching the odd headline).
Once again we've been embarassed in the international community by the Libs...
I've been out of the loop for the last few hours -won't Pettigrew's resignation help (not) pass the budget?
I've tried to find info on the CIDA wesite. Not much was forthcoming other than a feel good story about how our government reps helped the Thais by admonishing them on their forestry practices. Those dumbasses cut down the trees. That's why their coastal communities were wiped out. I'll sleep better at night knowing that our government educated those ignorant foreigners about not cutting down trees. Maybe they'll find shelter in them next time, and save us the expense of sending over bureaucrats to tell them not to cut them down, (http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/CIDAWEB/tsunami.nsf/vLUWebDocen/9DB96BA94545707985256FAB006BE02C)
I gave my $$$ to the Sally Ann.
Scotty, the actual sin the Thais committed was to allow someone other than Conny B to cut down their trees.
A Librano policy paper? Like every other one, it isn't worth the paper it is printed on. Any Canadian who puts one iota of faith in anything the Libs say is a political epiphany waiting to happen. They mean well, I'm sure.
I wonder how the Libranos would like it if a horde of Canadians (cripes, not the Canadian horde! nobody expects the Canadian horde!) began emailing the Sri-Lankan government informing them that we are trying to find out from our government where their money is, and not getting an answer.
Here's the degree of distrust I now have of the Liberals: they would use the compassion of Canadians to vacuum up more of our wealth, all the while having no intention aiding overpopulated areas of the world recover (ala Maurice Strong). Collaterally, picking up a gaggle of domestic votes doesn't hurt at all, not to mention stuffing the Liberal Party warchest in the process.
Mr. Martin: tear down that Party.
Kate, have you sent this to Gormley? His station's radiothon raised a lot of money for tsunami relief and was making frequent references to the matching grant. You'd think he would want to make some noise about this.
I'm glad I kept my money and refrained from donating. I knew most of it would get frittered away and not help the people it was intended to help. As usual, it was just another empty Liberal public relations exercise trying to score political points.
Stick with the Red Cross. There's some accountability there.