Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

SACPA Thursday, October 20, 2005

Development... Disasters...What Should Canada''s Role Be?

Earthquakes in Pakistan, mud slides in Guatemala, drought in southern

Africa: how can Canada respond to major disasters and on-going

development needs with limited funds and extravagant needs?

Since 1968, most of Canada''s Official Development Assistance has been

managed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

What is the role of government, and specifically CIDA, in responding to

natural disasters and international crises? Why is the Canadian

government involved? How is it involved?

And what are the priorities and implications of the International Policy

Statement, released in April 2005, on CIDA''s program?

What can we, as Canadians, do?

Speaker: Ruth Shapiro.

The Director of the CIDA Prairies Regional Office, Ruth Shapiro has been

with CIDA since 1983, previously serving as Director of the Public

Participation Program, the Anglophone NGO Program and as Counsellor

Development in Tanzania. The Prairies regional office, responsible for

Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, is one of three regional offices in

Canada. The others are in Vancouver and the Atlantic. The goal of these

offices is to represent CIDA outside the central core of Canada, to

ensure that Canadians are aware of international development issues,

know what opportunities there may be to participate in international

development activities and can learn how to get involved.

Please visit http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/index-e.htm for additional

information.

Download the Audio of Audience Q&A from this session.

The Canadian beef cattle industry has been in serious trouble since May

2003 when a case of BSE was discovered in Alberta. The export of live

cattle was stopped for over two years.

However, boneless boxed beef from cattle under 30 months of age was

allowed to reenter the U.S. after about three months.

Cattle ranchers and feedlot operators suffered seriously during this

period. Dairymen also suffered as they could not export heifers or older

cows or bulls. The total cattle population has increased over the last

two years. This has added to the problem.

The U.S. border is now open for live cattle over 30 months of age, but

will it remain so?

What is the future for the export of Canadian beef?

Speaker: Ted Haney is President of the Canada Beef Export Federation. He

was raised in Southern Alberta on a mixed farm. Ted graduated from the

University of Alberta in 1982 with a B.Sc. in Agriculture and again in

1992 with a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics. Before joining the Canada

Beef Export Federation in 1992, Ted worked as an agricultural consultant

in Canada and Asia.

Download the Audio of Audience Q&A from this session.

The Canadian beef cattle industry has been in serious trouble since May

2003 when a case of BSE was discovered in Alberta. The export of live

cattle was stopped for over two years.

However, boneless boxed beef from cattle under 30 months of age was

allowed to reenter the U.S. after about three months.

Cattle ranchers and feedlot operators suffered seriously during this

period. Dairymen also suffered as they could not export heifers or older

cows or bulls. The total cattle population has increased over the last

two years. This has added to the problem.

The U.S. border is now open for live cattle over 30 months of age, but

will it remain so?

What is the future for the export of Canadian beef?

Speaker: Ted Haney is President of the Canada Beef Export Federation. He

was raised in Southern Alberta on a mixed farm. Ted graduated from the

University of Alberta in 1982 with a B.Sc. in Agriculture and again in

1992 with a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics. Before joining the Canada

Beef Export Federation in 1992, Ted worked as an agricultural consultant

in Canada and Asia.

Download the Audio of Audience Q&A from this session.

Aboriginal issues are a growing area of public policy and perhaps the most important moral dilemma facing Canada. Following this vision, the federal government has an opportunity to stop ignoring the issues of accountability and transparency on reserves.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is a federally incorporated, non-partisan citizen advocacy group dedicated to lower taxes, less waste and accountable government.

Speaker: Tanis Fiss is the director of the Centre for Aboriginal Policy Change with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF). The centre monitors, researches, and provides alternatives to current aboriginal policy and court decisions. As a Métis woman, Fiss is concerned over the inequality current federal legislation and policy has created for aboriginals.

Tanis has presented before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and the Senate Committee for Aboriginal Peoples. In addition, Tanis has met with Assembly of First Nations National Chief, Phil Fontaine, and presented before the 2004 Aboriginal Forum.

Prior to working for the CTF, she worked as a project manager for a non-profit agency specializing in education research solutions for the public education system. Tanis has also worked as a public school accreditation officer for the province of British Columbia, accrediting aboriginal feeder schools. Fiss received her BA in Commerce from Royal Roads University in Victoria.

Download the Audio of Audience Q&A from this session.

Aboriginal issues are a growing area of public policy and perhaps the most important moral dilemma facing Canada. Following this vision, the federal government has an opportunity to stop ignoring the issues of accountability and transparency on reserves.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is a federally incorporated, non-partisan citizen advocacy group dedicated to lower taxes, less waste and accountable government.

Speaker: Tanis Fiss is the director of the Centre for Aboriginal Policy Change with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF). The centre monitors, researches, and provides alternatives to current aboriginal policy and court decisions. As a Métis woman, Fiss is concerned over the inequality current federal legislation and policy has created for aboriginals.

Tanis has presented before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and the Senate Committee for Aboriginal Peoples. In addition, Tanis has met with Assembly of First Nations National Chief, Phil Fontaine, and presented before the 2004 Aboriginal Forum.

Prior to working for the CTF, she worked as a project manager for a non-profit agency specializing in education research solutions for the public education system. Tanis has also worked as a public school accreditation officer for the province of British Columbia, accrediting aboriginal feeder schools. Fiss received her BA in Commerce from Royal Roads University in Victoria.

Download the Audio of Audience Q&A from this session.

Listen to the Audio from the Audience Q&A from this session

Listen to the Audio from the Audience Q&A from this session

Bridget Pastoor, the MLA for Lethbridge East, will speak about the draft report released on September 7, and her experiences on the MLA Task Force for Continuing Care Health Service and Accommodation Standards.

The task force group visited numerous communities in Alberta and was co-chaired by Ray Prins, MLA Lacombe-Ponoka and Chair of the Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta, and Len Webber, MLA Calgary-Foothills.

Speaker: Bridget Pastoor, MLA, Lethbridge East.

A Registered Nurse, geriatric specialist and former City of Lethbridge Alderwoman, Bridget Pastoor was elected to her first term as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the constituency of Lethbridge-East in 2004. Ms Pastoor worked as an RN at the Edith Cavell Care Centre from 1990 to 2004 while concurrently serving as an elected Alderwoman and on many civic and community boards, including the library board, the exhibition board and the municipal planning commission. She was a member of the University of Lethbridge senate from 1985 to 1991, the Alberta Student Finance Board and the Canada Pension Appeals Board tribunal. Ms Pastoor was awarded the Government of Canada commemorative gold medal in 1993. Her interests include social justice and political history.

Download the Audio of Audience Q&A from this session.

Bridget Pastoor, the MLA for Lethbridge East, will speak about the draft report released on September 7, and her experiences on the MLA Task Force for Continuing Care Health Service and Accommodation Standards.

The task force group visited numerous communities in Alberta and was co-chaired by Ray Prins, MLA Lacombe-Ponoka and Chair of the Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta, and Len Webber, MLA Calgary-Foothills.

Speaker: Bridget Pastoor, MLA, Lethbridge East.

A Registered Nurse, geriatric specialist and former City of Lethbridge Alderwoman, Bridget Pastoor was elected to her first term as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the constituency of Lethbridge-East in 2004. Ms Pastoor worked as an RN at the Edith Cavell Care Centre from 1990 to 2004 while concurrently serving as an elected Alderwoman and on many civic and community boards, including the library board, the exhibition board and the municipal planning commission. She was a member of the University of Lethbridge senate from 1985 to 1991, the Alberta Student Finance Board and the Canada Pension Appeals Board tribunal. Ms Pastoor was awarded the Government of Canada commemorative gold medal in 1993. Her interests include social justice and political history.

Download the Audio of Audience Q&A from this session.

The images of death and destruction from the Asian tsunami have given

way to unbelievably similar scenes coming from the Gulf Coast of the

United States in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. But the problem is far

from over in Asia.

Veteran United Nations aid worker Trevor Page was called back into

action earlier this year to help restructure the tsunami relief

operation in Indonesia. The UN’s immediate response to the humanitarian

needs in Aceh saved hundreds of thousands of people from starvation and

disease.

But the UN World Food Programme wanted to move on from relief to

rehabilitation and reconstruction to help the displaced population get

on with their lives. Illustrating his talk with slides, Trevor will

speak about the operation in Aceh, how it was compounded by a major

earthquake on the island of Nias in North Sumatra, and the warnings from

the world’s leading seismologists that another tsunami could devastate

the coastline of West Sumatra at any time.

Speaker: Trevor Page worked for the United Nations for over 30 years.

Most of the time he was posted in various parts of Africa and Asia, but

he also served at the headquarters of the World Food Programme where he

was responsible for emergency humanitarian assistance worldwide.

Download the Audio of Audience Q&A from this session.