The world's wealthiest countries must maintain their foreign aid in the face of the current economic crisis or risk creating a "human crisis," musician and activist Bob Geldof said during a whirlwind tour of Winnipeg Wednesday.
The former lead singer of The Boomtown Rats and the founder of Live Aid said it's short-sighted for countries to use the global recession as an excuse to cut the meagre aid given to the poorest countries on Earth.
"Governments are always looking for an opportunity to cut the little bit that they give anyway towards the poor part of the world but that's very short-termist," Geldof said before accepting an international humanitarian award from a local Winnipeg hospital foundation.
"The issue to hand is not to turn the financial crisis into a human crisis."
International aid is such a tiny part of any national budget, Geldof added. Countries such as Canada have promised to dedicate less than one per cent of their national budgets before 2010, he said.
"That means that for all their domestic travails, they've only got 99.95 left to deal with their domestic problems," Geldof said. "Is that not enough? If it isn't enough, then that government is a failure."
Although Geldof praised Canada for initially proposing G8 nations dedicate a small portion of their national budgets to help alleviate poverty in Africa, he had some harsh words for the federal government.
Canada now seems to be the "most reluctant" of all the G8 countries to hand over that small percentage of their federal budget, he said.
"I don't get it," Geldof said. "Canada is suffering as a result of the decline in the commodity's boom, so is Australia. But Africa is devastated because the vast repository of the world's commodities are in that continent.
"I don't believe that when Canadians say something, they don't mean it. Ultimately, the promise of the powerful to the weak is the most sacred promise you can make. When the rich make a promise to the poor, it's critical because when you break it, you kill them."
Pleading ignorance about Canada's parliamentary system, Geldof didn't offer an opinion on whether the current Conservative government in Ottawa should be ousted by the proposed NDP, Liberal and Bloc Quebecois coalition. But he said he will work "with any government" to ensure Canada fulfills its international obligations.
Despite arguments to the contrary, Geldof said foreign aid does work. Just the simple act of cancelling African debt put 41 million children into schools, he said.
Canada is "quite active" in Africa but not necessarily in a good way, he said.
"It's quite abusive in the way it does business," said Geldof, without offering examples. "It's not great the way you behave there. You manipulate governments."
At the same time, Geldof said it's shameful that a country as rich as Canada relies on the voluntary sector to ensure some people have a roof over their heads and food on the table. People in "cornflake country" like Manitoba shouldn't be going hungry, he said.
Geldof is best known as the organizer of the 1985 Live Aid concert for African famine relief. He formed the makeshift group Band Aid which raised millions with its single "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1986 and organized a string of Live 8 concerts in 2005 to raise awareness about world poverty in commemoration of the original Live Aid effort.
Geldof was honoured Wednesday night by the St. Boniface Hospital and Research Foundation international award. He was also given the keys to the city by former music promoter and current mayor Sam Katz.
