Finance committee  I was simply saying that Canada.... I was not talking about Afghanistan. Canada has done some good work there. Canada's aid program is quite effective around the world. We'd like to see Canada doing more of that and pulling its weight. Among all donor countries, Canada is curre

Finance committee  I think you said it well. Inequality does lead to unhealthy societies—unhealthy even in the sense of health, that people who are poor live less long and are more prone to unhappy lives. The World Bank is quite clear that inequality—

Finance committee  I'm not an expert on it, but certainly that sounds right to me. The World Bank has been very clear that inequality limits economic growth and can actually be quite damaging to the economy and quite costly to society, particularly when you have large numbers of people who are not

Finance committee  Forgive me if I have offended you. Certainly that was not my intent. Canada has done excellent work overseas, which is why we would like to see more money put into that budget to continue and expand that other work. Compared to other donors, Canada is still towards the bottom o

Finance committee  Our understanding of development is that the primary actors are not foreigners, be they companies or development agencies or Oxfams; the primary actors are citizens and their own governments. What we can do, as outsiders, is to help them.

Finance committee  The economy might be part of it. Certainly it's a piece of it, but it's not all of it. The role of aid and private investment can be positive and it can be negative. When there is citizen activism and government guidelines that guide it to development priorities, it can work. T

Finance committee  That's a terrific example, actually, and I'd love to talk more about it.

Finance committee  Good morning, everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to share our thoughts on the latest federal budget. Oxfam pays close attention to the operations of government, both our own and those in the 95 countries where we work, because government policies can have a huge impact on

Finance committee  Certainly not. We're an international development organization. Our concern is poverty, and climate change has an impact on poverty.

Finance committee  I would like to answer the question.

Finance committee  We are Canadians, and we believe we have a responsibility to speak up for Canadian society—

Finance committee  We are one of the top ten emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. We have to do something about it.

Finance committee  It's up to you. I leave it in your hands. You're the experts as to what should be done.

Finance committee  And in absolute numbers.

Finance committee  I think there are reasons why we are. The point is to address it in some way so that we no longer do.