Leaders of faith-based NGOs respond to changes to Canadian foreign aid that link aid and trade

 

There’s a major change taking place in the way Canada provides foreign aid — and faith-based relief and development agencies are responding to it. 

In the past, decisions about aid were based on the needs of the world’s poorest citizens. But now the federal government is linking aid with trade in order to benefit Canadian businesses. 

Considering the state of the world today, and the need to ensure Canada’s economic security apart from the U.S., some will see this as a pragmatic shift. But what about faith-based aid groups? Their scriptures and traditions command them to share with others without regard for any kind of return. How are they responding to this change of direction? I asked a few of them.

Read my column about this change in the Free Press.

Photo above: Canadian Foodgrains Bank aid in the Middle East.