Scant returns for G8/G20 expense

OTTAWA -- The extravagance of taxpayers’ money that was the G8/G20 summit will see little if any benefit for citizens, says the Green Party of Canada.  No action on climate, a Canada-India deal that contravenes the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and a deficit cutting plan that may see social programs at risk.  “Altogether, Canadians can legitimately demand answers as to what benefit we will see from this immensely expensive summit,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.

Possibly the only real achievement from the G8/G20 meetings is the $5 billion maternal health care commitment.  Deficit reduction became the big story, with G20 leaders agreeing that developed countries will cut their deficits by half by 2013.  “Sadly, it appears the needed cuts to deficits will be on the backs of the poor.  Important programs and services will be gutted to achieve these deficit reduction targets and citizens will pay the cost in the end,” said May. “In the last ten years we have seen a 50% increase in military budgets up to a worldwide total of 1.5 trillion dollars per year.  This increase in military spending is a big part of the reason our deficits have grown; however, not one word was uttered about cutting military budgets as a means of reducing deficits.” 

Getting less attention is the new trade deal brokered between India and Canada, trying to gain a foothold into India’s nuclear market.  “The Canada-India nuclear trade deal bypasses the fact that Canada is prohibited under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty from entering into nuclear commerce with non-NPT parties, in this case India. Instead of throwing its weight behind the gathering movement in the world for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, which would be a treaty banning all nuclear weapons, Canada has chosen to expand its commercial interests through the weakening of its disarmament efforts,” said Senator Doug Roche, O.C., former Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament and 1988 Chairman of the United Nations Disarmament Committee.

“Perhaps most disappointing is the absolute lack of progress on the climate crisis. Coming out of the summit, we only have a repeat of the Copenhagen accord—it is a squandered opportunity,” said May. “Maybe when the G20 meets at the originally scheduled 2010 meeting this fall in South Korea, with a different chair, progress can be made." 

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Contact Information:
Debra Eindiguer
Press Secretary
C: 613.240.8921
media@greenparty.ca