Lots of interesting news on the relationships between Canadian foreign aid and private industry, particularly mining. Steven Hoffman, who I had the opportunity to meet last spring, wrote an op-ed calling out the distinct new tenor of Canada’s foreign aid priorities and the difference between “trade” and “aid.” The minister in charge of the portfolio, Julian Fantino, responded not once, but twice, to Steve’s arguments. Steve was also interviewed by the news, which is making for a nice public debate about the changes going on, with contributions from others (on both sides of the debate).

The Real News Network recently interviewed Yves Engler about Canada’s foreign policy with respect to Haiti, which is particularly timely given that the third anniversary of the massive earthquake there recently passed and given recent U.S. pressure on Canada. Here is that interview, which focuses on the nexus between Canada’s foreign aid policy, recent changes (according to Engler) and the mining industry. Spoiler: it is clearly weighted against the government’s position.

Side note: I’ve now finished up reading Imperial Canada Inc. (which I mentioned here before) and which outlines an answer to why Canada is home to the vast majority of the world’s mining companies. I highly recommend it if this is a topic of interest. It has its drawbacks, but everything does.