I want to share something of marked importance. It concerns a popular contemporary debate - the argument against foreign aid in the midst of our own economic crisis.

The following is the story of a recent conversation I had with a new Canadian. It serves to illuminate the issue in a powerful way:

As I was tending to errans the other day, I struck up a conversation with a receptionist. I quickly learned that she was from El Salvador. We exchanged small-talk before she began to tell me the story of how she came to Canada.

She explained how when she was a teenager she experienced a civil war and bore witness to killings, bombings, and other atrocities on a daily basis. In light of this she remarked how she never takes anything for granted because she, "... knows what it is to survive."

After the war, she found work in the Canadian embassy in El Salvador. From what I gather this provided her with an opportunity to come to Canada. She didn't hesitate to take the offer.

Now she works two jobs while raising her three children as a single mother. She is proud that her eldest daughter may now have the privilege to attend university. She did make clear, though, that her daughter has to work to pay for it.

After hearing this story, she said, "There are people here who helped me, and I don't forget them. All I needed was a chance." This, my dear friends, sums it up perfectly. Facing difficulties the average Canadian can never truly imagine, all some people need is a chance. And in the case of those infected with HIV/AIDS it happens to be a chance to live.

When talking with my new friend it became clear that providing this chance is the duty of those who are able to. In doing so we will create fruitful and lasting relationships otherwise known as friendships. If there is anything Canada needs right now it is just that - friendships.

This is not the time to retract our commitments (don't forget it was our Prime Minister Lestor B. Pearson who called on the wealthy nations of the world to deliver 0.7% of the GDP as foreign aid to developing countries - a target that we still have not met) and it is certainly not the time to turn our back on our friends. Strong relationships and lasting bonds serve as the markers of health, wealth, and longevity. I am saddened and startled that our current government does not feel this way, but when the support does not come from the government it is the responsibility of the people to stand up and deliver on our commitments. And when we do, I promise our friends will never forget.

In solidarity,

Billy Strachan