Posts Tagged 'Fantino'

HomeTag: Fantino

Ignorance is Strength: Good Financial Management at Work

Ignorance is Strength: Good Financial Management at Work

McLeod Group Blog, December 22, 2014

According to George Orwell’s Ministry of Truth, ‘War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.’ In the Harper government’s brave new world, bad financial budgeting is good financial management.

That’s the only conclusions you can draw from government departments that planned and over-budgeted so badly in 2013-14 that they were able to return $7.2 billion in lapsed funds to the treasury. Treasury Board President Tony Clement calls this incredible mess ‘a sign of good ...

Continue Reading →

Categories: Blog

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Canada and Haiti: What is there to show from the last four years?

March 17, 2014

It is now more than four years since a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, killing over 200,000 and leaving over 3 million homeless. The poorest country in the Western hemisphere, at that point still recovering from hurricanes in 2008, saw the poorest segment of its population affected by an even more severe natural disaster.

The outpouring of sympathy and support from countries in the hemisphere, and beyond, was swift and massive. Governments pledged large amounts and sent relief teams, the ...

Continue Reading →

Categories: Blog

Tags: , , , , ,

Deleting the Brand

July 18, 2013

At the end of June, the day of the official name change at 200 Promenade du Portage, the CIDA headquarters sign—in darkly Orwellian fashion—was covered up with some garbage bags. The seamless transition promised by then Development Minister Julian Fantino wasn’t quite ready for prime time because the new signage had not arrived.

Within a day, however, the new lettering was up and the CIDA President had been sent away, replaced by an associate deputy minister with no experience ...

Continue Reading →

Categories: Blog

Tags: , , , ,

The Good News Budget Bill

May 2, 2013

So, the verdict is in. Pundits, academics, even the troublesome NGOs seem to like Bill C-60, the Harper Government’s omnibus Budget Bill that, among many, many other things, “folds” CIDA into DFAIT.

When the merger was announced, John Baird—perhaps trying to alleviate the concerns of those who saw aid budget cuts ahead—said it had nothing to do with money. Which makes you wonder, then, why the merger was squeezed into a Budget Bill. But we’re getting used to that, ...

Continue Reading →

Categories: Blog

Tags: , , ,

Fantino’s Fantasy: CIDA, Israel and all That

February 7, 2013

In September, Canada and Great Britain signed an agreement that will see the two countries sharing embassies abroad. The idea is to extend each country’s diplomatic reach while cutting costs. The move has been criticized because it could compromise Canada’s independence and its foreign policy. Canada and Australia already have this kind of arrangement in some 26 countries, but let’s face it, Britain isn’t Australia, and the Brits have issues and image ...

Continue Reading →

Categories: Blog

Tags: , , , , , ,