On the night of Feb. 1, I went to one of the Liberals’ pre-budget consultation sessions.

There was a 10-page handout full of domestic issues on each table.

International development was not on the table. I don’t think it’s even on the Liberals’ radar screen.

Before Christmas, the PM was leaping from one world stage to another trying to rebrand Canada. Our generosity toward the world’s poorest was wisely not one of his selling points.

The only mention of aid was at COP21 in Paris. There, Canada pledged $2.65 billion over five years to help cities in developing countries adapt to climate change.

It is unclear if this will be new money or if tens of thousands of health care workers and teachers there will be getting pink slips.

For decades, both Conservative and Liberal governments have raided the ODA budget like it was the proverbial cookie jar.

OECD figures show that from 2012 to 2014, ODA dropped by 20 per cent. Currently, it stands at a miserable 0.24 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI).

To put it another way, that’s 24 cents for every $100 of GNI. We rank in the bottom half of OECD countries.

The government will likely say times are tough and there are more pressing priorities to address while keeping tabs on the deficit.

Tell that to the 16,000 mothers in the world who will lose a child from preventable causes on any given day.

Two years ago, the U.K. reached the 0.7 per cent, originally set by our own Lester B. Pearson 45 years ago, despite having a $200-million deficit.

Canada should show the same moral leadership by setting a fullycosted timetable for reaching 0.7 per cent by 2020.

The taking in 25,000 of Syrian refugees shows that Canadians are a compassionate and generous people, but as a country, we have a long way to go.

Stephen St. Denis
Ottawa