Interesting coverage in the G&M today about the Minister of Defence announcing tax breaks for military members who serve overseas. I guess Global Affairs Canada staff get similar breaks, but I have never seen any consideration of extending this to people who work in development…beyond the preferential treatment for IDRC employees, that is.
Also interesting in the G&M article is the observation by Conservative defence critic:
"Conservative defence critic James Bezan, who had been pressing the minister to address the concerns raised by those deployed to Kuwait, welcomed the decision, despite the length of time it took to make.
“Those who put themselves in harm’s away and sacrifice time away from their loved ones should not be shortchanged by their government,” Bezan said in a statement"
I think this is something worth pursuing on behalf of those development people who put themselves in harm's way, spend long periods away from their families, etc. If you ever get any support, put that near the top of the list of priorities. It would take some organizing but who knows what effect it would have. At least it would raise public awareness about what development professionals actually do.