Make Poverty History campaign action

Friday, May 11, 2007 - 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Location:
Parliament Hill, Centennial Flame (Ottawa)
Contact Name:
Bill Hynd
Contact Email:
billh@oxfam.ca
URL:
http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca

Ask Canada to keep its promise to commit 0.7% of our national income to international development assistance. Join us on Parliament Hill for a creative action to help Make Poverty History!

Poverty will not be eradicated without immediate and substantial increases in international aid. 

We are calling on Canada to take action to:

  • Reach the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015 by committing to a timetable to increase aid by 12% in each of the next 3 years and by 15% thereafter.
  • Enact legislation to make "ending poverty" the exclusive goal of Canadian foreign aid in a way consistent with our human rights' obligations.  

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0.7GroupPhoto.....................................................................................

When: Friday May 11 4:00-5:00pm

Where: Parliament Hill, Centennial Flame

Who: More than 100 people who support the Make Poverty History campaign, including you (we hope)

In anticipation of the G8 meeting this June in Germany, the Make Poverty History Campaign, Oxfam Canada, and Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Canada are gathering together in cities across the country to form giant human " 0.7%" signs. These 0.7%'s are photographed and will be sent to Prime Minister Harper along with a message that these are the faces of Canadians, who represent thousands more, who are asking our Canadian government to keep its promise, and live up to the challenge issued by our own Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, for the world's developed nations to commit to 0.7% of their GNI toward official aid assistance. Unlike other G8 countries, Canada still has yet to set a timeline to meet this target by 2015; the year the UN Assembly has set to meet the Millennium Development Goals by.

Citizens will stand in the formation of "0.7%" along the front sidewalk leading to the steps of Parliament Hill. The crowd will be addressed by leaders from Make Poverty History, Oxfam Canada, and EWB Canada , as well as MPs from each political party in attendance. A photograph will be taken, and the local media will be invited to cover the event, and to demonstrate at our Nation's Capital what citizens across Canada and around the world are calling for: A call to recognize our generation's capacity and obligation to create a more equitable world. This is a call to make 2007 a decisive year in the fight against poverty.

For more information on the campaign, visit: http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/e/aim3.html