Irish rocker-turned-activist Bob Geldof is accusing Canada, among all G8 nations, of playing the role of "blocker" to progress in Africa.
His comments come as various anti-poverty groups urge Group of 8 leaders to take bold action on global poverty, ahead of this week's G8 summit in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm, Germany.
"It's a bizarre circumstance. Especially today when Prime Minister (Stephen) Harper in Berlin was boasting in a speech that Canada was the most successful of the G8 nations in terms of the economy for the tenth year running," Geldof told Â鶹´«Ã½net in a phone interview on Monday.
Summit host and German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to ask G8 leaders to reiterate a 2005 pledge to double development aid by 2010.
Geldof said Canada's aid contribution of $160 million falls far short of the $623 million it needs to contribute this year in order to fulfill that pledge.
He also said Harper promised in January 2006 that Canada would maintain the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average for international aid -- which is 0.46 per cent of gross national income.
"The OECD is the overarching body that everyone agrees should monitor their economies, all the governments agree on that. Point in fact, Canada is way behind the OECD average which is 0.46. Canada is about 0.3," said Geldof.
"So you have one of the richest nations on the planet deliberately breaking their word and thereby killing the poorest."
Harper said the allegations are "false." Without elaborating, he said Canada is on the right track to honour a pledge to double aid to Africa by 2010.
Geldof said Canada isn't alone in its failure to keep its word. He said Italy is "tucking in under Canada's coattails."
"The excuse they have is that their economy is really doing very badly, but that hides the fact that this year they will see 2.4 per cent growth from almost nothing, and they have got an unexpected tax windfall of $10-billion euros."
This isn't the first time the federal government's foreign aid commitment has come under fire from a high-profile celebrity.
In May, 2006, U2 front man and human rights crusader Bono criticized the Harper government for not increasing foreign aid. He said many lives are depending on Canada's government to keep its promises.
