I was absolutely appalled upon reading such outright garbage about development in the Third World. As much as Mr. Farrell would like to have us believe that Jean Chrétien is doing too much for the Third World and that economic development will magically occur without aid for health or education in developing nations, I beg to differ.
Mr. Farrell seemed to indicate that nepad, the New Partnership for African Development, was conceived by Jean Chrétien and rejected by the industrialized world. The leaders of Africa as well as the g8 nations jointly crafted nepad, contrary to that belief. It is also important to recognize that under the Chrétien government, the amount of foreign aid that Canada grants to developing nations has fallen drastically. The Kyoto Accords, contrary to what Mr. Farrell seems to suggest, have been endorsed by most of the industrialized world, and have widespread support among all Canadians, including Albertans. The mere suggestion, then, that Chrétien is doing too much for the developing world is laughable.
Mr. Farrell referred to so-called researchers who say that economic development comes independent of foreign aid. I would certainly like to read this "research," as many noted policy makers and economists around the world have proven otherwise. Most recently, The World Health Organization’s Commission on Macroeconomics and Health chaired by Harvard economist Dr. Jeffery Sachs released a report, which clearly identified the economic benefits that would come from increased foreign aid investments in health and infrastructure in developing nations.
Instead of resorting to such right-wing nonsense, I urge Mr. Farrell to go to a source other than the Canadian Taxpayers’ Union when doing research about development.