Feb. 27, 2007: Introduction

Updates 1, 2 and 3: Mar. 1, 2007 (set off with lines near the bottom) and Update Feb. 28, 2007: also near the bottom.

This is intended as an introduction to a group of posts that are related in that they explore microcredit, global banking innovations, Canada's aid, public-private partnerships, foundations and financial transparency when Canadian taxpayer dollars are involved, administration of this aid, research and technology deals involving Canadian and foreign universities, along with other deals which may be the main interest of the foreign companies involved (e.g. potash, uranium), and more. I believe there has been too little made known--or allowed to be--too much beyond the purview of Canadians about what has gone on and may be continuing; yet Canadian tax dollars are involved, along with issues of security and prudence. I believe the light of transparency and accountability need to be shed on all of this. It would help if our media would investigate. Comments welcome, if they address the issues of concern.

I have coloured headers and key phrases or words. Note anything in bright blue .


List of related posts:

Feb. 26, 2007: Innovations in Microcredit

This is intended to provide more background to other posts today on aid, microcredit, development, foundations, banking endeavours, and taxpayer money. Re: The Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM) , the Grameen Bank

Feb. 26, 2007: April Audits -&- Threads [It is the audit part that is related; the threads are discussions of interest, but not part of this]

April audits may bring Grits shame , Ezra Levant, Feb. 26, 2007, Calgary Sun -- Interesting days ahead?

Feb. 26, 2007: Strong: Environmental Guru
UN Maurice Strong Environment Kyoto

At the United Nations, the Curious Career of Maurice Strong , By Claudia Rosett and George Russell, February 08, 2007

Feb. 26, 2007: Foundations
Membership Transparency, Anonymity, Audit Committee

It appears that a foundation may have one member, may have no audit committee, and may have anonymous donors.

House of Commons CANADA Standing Committee on Industry, Natural Resources, Science and Technology NUMBER 022 1st SESSION 38th PARLIAMENT EVIDENCE Tuesday, February 22, 2005


Feb. 26, 2007: Global
This might provide some useful background to other posts today.

Memory Lane: Frost Hits the Rhubarb July 2 - 8, 2006

frosthitstherhubarb.blogspot.com/
2006_07_02_frosthitstherhubarb_archive.html

Header: July 6, 2006: Global Expertise or Governance? Digital Universe & ManyOne.net

public-private partnership

Feb. 26: 2007: Global Development

Microcredit - CIDA - Aga Khan Foundation - Taxpayer Input - Public-Private Partnerships - Transparency - Ramifications


Private Microbank

The Micro Finance Bank Ltd set up by the Aga Khan Rural Support Program , the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development

CIDA: a partner with the Aga Khan Development Network

Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM), an arm of the Aga Khan Development Network

[....] The Canadian wing of the Aga Khan Development Network is a partner with the Canadian International Development Agency on several projects in Africa and Asia.

There may be more here: Under the heading: "Oct. 30, 2006: The shoe is on the other foot now", search or scroll down to information on Pluralism, the Aga Khan and the Aga Khan Global Centre for Pluralism -- the Aga Khan on the UN , Frost Hits the Rhubarb Oct. 30, 06

frosthitstherhubarb.blogspot.com/2006/10/
oct-30-2006-shoe-is-on-other-foot-now.html


Aga Khan's Dealings Stir Questions of Financial Transparency , Nov. 23, 05 (Bloomberg)

Check carefully, since Canadian taxpayers' dollars are involved through CIDA's relationship. Check anything in bright blue, particularly.

A HISTORY OF THE AGAKHANI ISMAILIS, SECTION SEVEN

Search: Dassondh , taqiyya


Feb. 26, 2007: At the confluence of two rivers ...
Of Generosity and Business


Frost Hits the Rhubarb Nov. 5, 2006

Nov. 6, 2006: Charity begins ... in Hong Kong - China

A "Canadian Charitable Foundation" ...
Li Ka-shing

foreign-born Canadians start establishing private foundations

Canada and China have agreed to work together in the energy sector, including "the uranium resources field." [....]


Search: Husky Energy Inc. , medical research and knowledge translation initiatives , Chinese University in Hong Kong, Shantou University in mainland China

Billionaire Li Ka-shing: East meets West in new medicine exchange program
University of Manitoba and Shantou University.

Hong Kong-based global entrepreneur and philanthropist Li Ka-shing is helping establish the exchange program with a gift of $1 million.

Founded in 1981 by Li Ka-shing, Shantou University

ASIA MISSION TO PROMOTE SASKATCHEWAN "POWERHOUSE" , October 17, 2005

business relationships in potash, energy, agriculture and agricultural machinery, telecommunications, film production, forestry, tourism and research and development.

Kazakhstan

The delegation will meet in Hong Kong with Hutchison Wampoa Ltd. [Whampoa?] (parent company of Husky Energy) and the Noble Group; in China with Sinochem (potash), China National Cereals, Oils and Food Stuffs Corporation (COFCO), the China National Petroleum Corporation, Chinese film producers, the National People's Congress, and various Ministries; and in Japan with Hitachi, Sapporo Breweries, Nippon Flour Mills, the Idemitsu, Overseas Uranium Resources Development (OURD), Japan-Canada Uranium Company Limited (JCU) and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) uranium companies and Japanese outbound tourism operators.

A number of new co-operation agreements will be signed on the mission, including agreements between the University of Regina and Jinan University, between the University of Saskatchewan and the Beijing Institute of Technology, and between the China National Petroleum Corporation and the Regina-based Petroleum Technology Research Centre.

Uranium Saskatchewan Development

China interested in Sask. uranium, Calvert says

Feb. 26, 2007: Memory Lane: Judicial Appointments

Feb. 26, 2007: What happened with this?

Witnesses changed their story at sponsorship inquiry -- "The report goes back to October 2005 and found discrepancies, inconsistencies or contradictions in the testimony of about half a dozen witnesses." , Kathryn May, CanWest / Ottawa Citizen, February 08, 2007

Background:

New sponsorship scandal charges could be in the works, book says Machouette


Related: Frost Hits the Rhubarb Jan. 7 - 13, 2007

frosthitstherhubarb.blogspot.com/
2007_01_07_archive.html

Jan. 13, 2007: Financing Disaster #2 Introduction

There are several posts that go together as explorations of EDC, the Canada Account, nuclear sales, transparency, the environment ... screen captures and more information.

[.... Scroll to: ]

Several posts go together in that they reveal how difficult it is to find out information: for example, about exactly what has been accomplished with CIDA aid money and then what the loans through the Export Development Canada's Canada account entail. There is a lack of transparency. It took more time than I expected to find out what companies were involved in nuclear projects and under what acronyms or names; hence, I have included information on where I looked and search terms.

Jan. 13, 2007: EDC-Competition, Disclosure, Access to Information -- which leads to the posts below: CIDA officials present Evidence before the Standing Senate committee on National Defence [See below for information on one of those giving evidence, Hau Sing Tse.]

Jan. 13, 2007: #1 CIDA Evidence to Senate Committee [i.e. Where has Canada's Foreign Aid been going in Afghanistan? - Continued below]

Jan. 13, 2007: #2 CIDA Evidence to Senate Committee [52-million-dollar micro-financing program in Afghanistan - $100 million per year - supervised by ARTF and the World Bank - Middle Eastern accounting firms - women trained in communication and media - radio - $3-Million out of $90-Million for basic education for girls]

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Update 1: Mar. 1, 2007:

Jan. 13, 2007: #3 CIDA - ARTF [Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, and the World Bank - officials from the Canadian International Development Agency: Hau Sing Tse, Vice-President of the Asia Branch, and Phillip Baker, Director of the Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka Division - Afghan ARTF Expatriates Services Program - artfexpat.gov.af which leads to iom.int or the International Organization for Migration - Lateral Entry Program to place 100 lateral entrants from NGOs and international organizations in middle- and senior-level line positions in government ministries and agencies -- more below]

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Update Feb. 28, 2007:

Hau Sing Tse, Vice President, Asia Branch, Canadian International Development Agency , Rights and Democracy, Speakers - Biographical Notes. There is also information on others and their interests, such as Claire l’Heureux-Dubé, Former Judge, Supreme Court of Canada, and a couple from Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs), a woman from Shan Women’s Action Network, and more.

Hau Sing Tse was born in Canton, China and grew up in Hong Kong .... He joined CIDA in 1984 and occupied various positions on the Pakistan Program, the China Program and with the Canadian Embassy in Beijing , China. He spent one year, 1996-97, as Policy Advisor with the Priorities and Planning Secretariat of the Privy Council Office (PCO) .... Upon his return to CIDA from PCO, he served as Director General of the Performance Review Branch for two years. ...

How very interesting that someone born in China whose formative years were spent there or in Hong Kong would be working in the Privy Council Office as a Policy Advisor. Of course, he was a native speaker of ... would that be Mandarin? Cantonese? China has made it known that Canadians who want to do business in China would be advised use a native speaker who knows his/her way around. Was that not in the era of the Team Canada's (Prime Minister and businessmen) trips to China to drum up business were taking place?

There is biographical information on others, for example, Luke Peterson
International Institute on Sustainable Development (IISD)

... research consultant for the Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) , the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development .... Mr. Peterson currently works on a number of IISD trade and investment policy projects, including ones focused on the impacts of international economic rules on health, human rights and development. He is also the editor of the INVEST-SD News Bulletin, IISD's news service dedicated to tracking developments in international investment law, policy and dispute settlement.

Would INVEST-SD be "Sustainable Development"?

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Update 2, Mar. 1, 2007:

Frost Hits the Rhubarb Oct. 28, 2006

frosthitstherhubarb.blogspot.com/2006/10/
oct-28-2006-cida-kenny-hansard.html

Oct. 28, 2006: CIDA, Kenny, Hansard, Chretien & Martin & ...

CIDA's Malaria Meltdown -- Why is the Canadian International Development Agency perpetuating malaria deaths?, By Amir Attaran, Thursday, October 26, 2006 -- Bednets, DDT, Malaria.

"The problem is with CIDA"

In the Senators Defense, Kevin Steele, Western Standard

westernstandard.blogs.com/shot
gun/2006/10/in_the_senators.html

UN & the Communist Bloc

Bolton's Bravery by Ion Mihai Pacepa [re: John Bolton -- I think this is the item that is worth reading.]

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Update 3, Mar. 1, 2007:

Afghan Compact - This is from a press release from the Afghan embassy

Dep. Minister Saikal addresses the Conference on Afghanistan organized by the Aga Khan Foudation Canada

www.afghanemb-canada.net/en/press_release/embassy/
2005/december/Last_embassy_press_release.php

Afghan Deputy Minister Highlights Development Strategy December 6, 2005

Ottawa – ... a policy event on Afghanistan’s development and met with a group of Afghan-Canadian businesses.

During his meetings with Acting Deputy Minister Mr. David Mulroney at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier and Deputy Minister of National Defence, Mr. Ward P.D. Elcock, CIDA President Mr. Robert Greenhill and VP Asia, Mr. Hau Sing Tse, and Mr. Jonathan Fried, Senior Foreign Policy Advisor at the Privy Council Office, Mr. Saikal briefed Canadian officials on the outcome of the recent Kabul Conference on Regional Cooperation and the upcoming international conference on Afghanistan to be held in London in January.

... “Afghanistan Compact”, ... the new framework for cooperation between Afghanistan and the international community. He stressed on the need to address the reconstruction priorities of Afghanistan that is part of an Afghan-led National Development Strategy document. [.... Was that part of the necessity for radios? For women?]

At the AKFC [Aga Khan Foundation Canada] event, Omar Samad, the Afghan Ambassador to Canada, also spoke of the need to “consolidate the gains and achievements of the past four years while facing with determination the challenges of the future,” by focusing on security and development priorities, in addition to special attention needed for enhancing rule of law, governance, anti-narcotics and capacity building. [....]

Embassy of Afghanistan
December 9, 2005

Capacity building? What does that mean in the context of a meeting with businessmen at the Aga Khan Foundation Canada event?