The following is the speech
delivered by Senator Oliver at the Ahead fund-raising, Addis
Bazaar, on September 16, 2000.
I am delighted to be here with you this morning and I am delighted to be associated with Ahead, the Association for Higher Education and Development. I know that Ahead is a non profit organization and was originally establish by Canadian volunteers of Ethiopian origin to mobilize assistance for development efforts in Ethiopia.
Well, I am “not” a volunteer of Ethiopian origin but I am a Canadian volunteer who has gone to Ethiopia and who still wants to help in the mobilization of assistance for the country. Here is how I got involved.
While a student at Acadia University in Wolfville I was selected to be a member of Crossroads Africa Incorporated and a group of Canadian and American students traveled to Ethiopia for the summer. Our job was to build a 73-foot extension to an existing school in Mymichiam in the northern part of the country. This was a village where a severe drought had devastated the area one year before. We built a school and in our spare time we taught. It gave us an opportunity to learn about the people of the region.
That was my first visit to Africa and it was enlightening. My experiences in Ethiopia were rewarding and have proven to be some of the most important months of my life. I learned a lot about the people, the religion, the culture, the history and the tradition of the Ethiopian people and I embrace the Ethiopian community and share your feeling of being connected.
What really excites me about Ahead is that it was established in response to a growing desire among Ethiopians in the Diaspora to pay back their country and the people they owe so much to. As I understand it many of you acquired your higher education in Ethiopia institutions all paid for by the people of Ethiopia and now you would like to give something back.
I have a lot of sympathy for those feelings. I was lucky enough to get an education in Nova Scotia and members of my family like the late Reverend Doctor W.P. Oliver were leaders of the black community in Nova Scotia and we like you would like to give something back because we have achieved a modest degree of success. We want to be in a position to help uplift our people.
But what can I, a black Senator from Nova Scotia, do to help Ahead? Well, as I noted from the materials one of the things that many of you want to do is to work with Canadian institutions like CIDA to continue long standing traditions in the field of international development. The answer to my question is that as a Canadian Senator there are many things that I and others can do to assist Ahead.
I can under the rules of the Senate make a three minute Statement calling the attention of honourable Senators to Ahead and what it is trying to do and solicit other Senators' help, guidance and assistance. I can ask probing questions during the Senate Question Period of the Leader of the Government in the Senate about the role, position and current foreign policy the Government of Canada has with respect to assistance in Ethiopia. I can also cause an enquiry to be commenced and I could solicit the assistance of other honourable Senators to participate in the enquiry. Here is an example of what I mean by an inquiry.
In 1999 the main exports to Ethiopia from Canada were machinery, cereals, vegetables and pharmaceutical products. The main imports from Ethiopia were coffee, tea, grains and fruits a comparative analysis of trade and exports to Ethiopia between 1998 and 1999 shows the trade dropped significantly. In 1998, 48.3 million Canadian dollars of exports were traded and in 1999 that figure dropped to more than half to only $14.3 million.
Ladies and gentlemen this is an appalling figure. We could have an enquire in the Senate as to why Canadian foreign policy and foreign aid changed and dropped so drastically that trade dropped off to mere trickle. Don’t forget our trade with our neighbour to the South is substantially more than $1 billion a day.
In addition to that Senators can be of assistance to Ahead by writing letters, lending their names and encouraging others to support the initiatives designed to extend our foreign aid and open our trade to the people of Ethiopia. I know because I was there that Ethiopia is a country rich in history, culture and tradition. The Addis Bazaar that will open today is something that all Canadians should have an opportunity to see and observe.
And there are other things that can be done. I spoke a few months ago in Toronto at an African trade conference and I told the delegates there that certainly meetings of heads of states are important, but it is also important for the local politicians and parliamentarians of our respective countries to meet on a regular basis to exchange views and to explore in detail the investment opportunities available and to strengthen the relationship between our countries.
I have written and spoken openly in the Senate of Canada and elsewhere about Africa now being open for business. I have also urged Canadians to jump at the opportunity to participate in joint ventures, partnerships and other forms of business undertakings. I feel Canada should be doing more for Africa, President Clinton was just in Nigeria where he said that before he left Africa he wanted to do more to encourage bilateral trade. I feel our PM should go to Ethiopia and he could... this would build bridges and give hope... I will continue to be active in my role of development of Africa.
In conclusion I am delighted to be here today because September 16 is the day when Ahead and Christ Church will jointly stage a fundraising event to raise funds to start the first Ahead Bursary Program for medical students a the Addis Ababa University. I think this is a commendable undertaking and I certainly endorse it and give my full support.
Best wishes for the rest of today’s activities.