More leadership by imitation

While the CP notes that Bono is reserving judgment on whether the Cons will increase foreign aid, it's hard to be inspired even by Harper's high-water statement as to his goals in foreign aid:

Just 10 days before the January election that propelled him to power, Harper promised to increase foreign aid spending by $425 million over five years, and bring it to the average level among members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a promise the Liberal platform didn't match.

The point, Harper said at the time, was to make foreign policy decisions that were not only "independent," but "actually noticed by other powers."

But even with the promised multimillion-dollar boost, Ottawa's foreign aid budget will still fall far below the generally accepted target of 0.7 per cent of GNP, the annual total of all goods produced and services provided.

It's hard to see how pegging Canada's foreign aid levels to the average of other OECD countries would be either the least bit independent, or likely to be noticed by anybody. And while Harper's standard would indeed be an improvement on the status quo, that's more a testament to the Libs' negligence than any sign that Harper's plan will put Canada in a position that even vaguely resembles leadership.

Canada's commitment should be to meet its earlier .7% promise and to encourage other states to do the same - not merely to fall short by roughly the same amount as most other countries. And while holding the Cons to their promise may be a step in the right direction, neither Bono nor anybody else should be completely satisfied if the Cons follow through with that small step.