Hold the Canadian Government accountable to its promises.
With 12 million lives at risk in one area, we can’t afford to freeze aid.
At times Canada has been a leader in supporting people to lift themselves out of poverty through our overseas aid program. But last year, our government announced it would freeze the aid budget.
Keeping this freeze on aid has a huge human cost. It simply doesn’t add up that Canada can keep its ongoing commitments to the poor and respond to emergencies like the Horn of Africa or other natural disasters.
And a solid aid base makes our aid more effective. For example, prevention is far better than scrambling to provide “cures” after the fact. Drought prevention typically costs about $6.50 a person while drought relief for just 4 months can cost $250 per person!
If we are serious about winning the fight to end poverty, Canada and the people we support overseas need a long-term, predictable and robust aid program. Particularly right now, an aid freeze is not the way to go.
The government is now considering its next budget. Let your federal Member of Parliament know that you want Canada to be a leader in helping others and to end the aid freeze. Click the link below to start writing your letter.
It’s not all about the government. We’ve also included a point about changes our government could make to encourage Canadians to be more generous.
Click here to send your letter!
