Stephen Lewis on hot seat over aid
June 2, 2009

THE TORONTO STAR - Dambisa Moyo is possibly the only person who can get applause in Canada by saying, after listening to Stephen Lewis speak, "If you listen to what Stephen has said, it's littered with negatives."

It helps, of course, that Moyo is a celebrated African-born, Oxford- and Harvard-educated economist. She is also the author of Dead Aid, a book scathingly critical of current Western aid policies.

How Canada can help Haiti to help itself
June 1, 2009

GLOBE AND MAIL - by Paul Collier. In 2008, three decades of unprecedented global prosperity came to an abrupt end. During this period, countries such as China and India rose out of poverty and moved into the rich world. But others, with a population of more than one billion inhabitants, stagnated.

Canadians disapprove of linking foreign aid to trade
June 1, 2009

GLOBE AND MAIL - Most Canadians want to give to poorer countries, and many want to give far more - but the idea of linking aid to our economic interests turns people off, a new poll finds.

Arguments that aid brings commercial benefits actually undermine support for foreign aid, suggesting that Ottawa's move toward focusing aid on countries with deeper trading ties won't win Canadians' backing.

We're not idiots. We're adults. We can run our own society
May 30, 2009

GLOBE AND MAIL - In the past 50 years, more than $1-trillion in development-related aid has been transferred from rich countries to Africa. But a growing body of critics argues that the result has been utter failure.

46% favour foreign aid priorities, poll finds
May 25, 2009

NATIONAL POST - A recent government decision to refocus how Canada spends its foreign aid dollars, in order to target certain developing countries and initiatives while de-prioritizing others, has been received favourably by the Canadian public, according to a survey by the Munk Debates.

LAUNCH OF THE THIRD SEMI-ANNUAL MUNK DEBATE
April 30, 2009

Peter Munk announced today the resolution and presenters for the third semi-annual Munk Debates to be held in Toronto on Monday, June 1st.

The third Munk Debate will explore the opportunities and hazards of foreign aid, by debating the resolution: "be it resolved that foreign aid to developing countries does more harm than good." It will consider whether wealthy nations should be increasing foreign aid in a world where over 3 billion people live on under $2 a day and where the ills of underdevelopment (e.g. civil strife) can have global repercussions. The debate will also explore the poor track record of state to state foreign aid in increasing GDP, the support it often provides to dictators and tyrants, and the potential for freer and fairer trade to lift up developing nations.