Canada’s development record slammed

A top U.N. advisor says Stephen Harper’s government has shown a “lack of interest” in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

Stephen Harper is among the world leaders meeting today in New York to re-commit to achieving the U.N.’s development goals, and the organization’s economic adviser Jeffrey Sachs says Canada needs to step it up. The Millennium Development Goals were intended to tackle pressing global problems like extreme poverty, AIDS, and child mortality, but with the deadline for their success a short five years away, it appears they are mostly headed for failure. Sachs says that Canada’s development agency has done little to reach development targets and has ignored most of the issues except for maternal health. He also singled out Japan, France, Italy, Germany, and the U.S. for criticism.