PROUD TO BE CANADIAN

Author:

David Garmaise

Article Type:

Article Number: 11

ABSTRACT As he completes his last issue as editor of Global Fund Observer, David Garmaise indulges in a moment of Canadian pride.

It’s a good time to be a Canadian again!

Over a lifetime, it ebbs and flows. I can remember, during the Viet Nam war (yes, I am that old!), when Americans touring Europe used to wear the Canadian flag on their backpacks to avoid being hassled.

In the last decade, it felt like Canadians were wandering in the desert (we do have a desert, you know, in a corner of the country, under all that snow), living under a government that gave only lukewarm support to international aid.

Now, Canada is in the spotlight again. We have a new government and new leader who really believes in multilateralism and advancing Canada’s role on the world stage. And now, Canada has hosted what by all accounts was a very successful replenishment for the Global Fund.

It reminds me of all the expatriate Canadians, like myself, who populate local and international organizations working on HIV, TB, malaria, and Global Fund issues. There are an awful lot of us, more than you would expect for a country with a population of just 36 million.

So, as I complete my last issue of GFO as editor, I am happy to hand over the reins to Larson Moth who is – you guessed it – another expatriate Canadian! We are everywhere!