Canada plans to slash the number of countries to which it sends development aid but will target most needy areas with a greater investment, a report said Thursday.
The Canadian International Development Agency will shift its focus from poverty reduction to urgent concerns like AIDS in Africa and Asia, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported, citing unnamed official sources.
The leaks came from a foreign policy review by the government of Prime Minister Paul Martin, which the paper said would also nominate the army as the dominant arm of Canada's armed forces.
Martin did not confirm the reports when he was questioned by reporters on the sidelines of a policy retreat in the eastern province of New Brunswick, but he did lend credence to the idea of a new focus in Canadian foreign policy.
"Essentially, we believe that Canada can make a difference, can make a fundamental difference in terms of the defence of North America and our role in the world," Martin said.
"We do this in a coordinated way, that, essentially, the demands of the 21st century are not ones that can allow government not to focus."
The Globe and Mail reported that the policy review would not comment on the US national missile defense scheme to which US President George W. Bush's administration wants Martin to sign up.
The missile shield, and the Bush White House itself, are highly unpopular in Canada, and the issue is proving a political hot potato for Martin.
Martin's emphasis on the army will allow Canada to target its international military operations to missions in failed or failing states, the paper said.
The Canadian Army has played a major peacekeeping and enforcement role in Afghanistan and Haiti in recent years.
The Martin government's focus on foreign aid has been highlighted in its approach to relief efforts after Asia's tsunami disaster.
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