Question:
Read through the story given and answer the following questions. Highlight/Use Annotations.
Answer:
Name: __________________________________ Date: _______________
On Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s watch, Canada has been a reliable friend and partner, delivering more than $1 billion in aid [to Haiti] between 2006 and 2012. We provided $680 million in the three years after the quake, according to UN statistics. However the Conservatives have sharply cut Canada’s $5-billion aid budget and have left money earmark for aid unspent. As they review aid to Haiti there’s concern they will pare it back.
Given Haiti’s ongoing needs, Harper should resist that temptation. As International Development Minister Christian Paradis rightly noted on a visit to Haiti last summer, “Canadians are a generous people and they remain deeply concerned by the challenges the Haitian people face.” Our aid should reflect that generosity and concern. A sharp cut would only legitimize cutbacks by some donors, and discourage others, with tragic results. Indeed, Paradis acknowledged the ongoing need by doling out $6.6 million to provide poor schoolchildren with a daily meal. And this week he announced $20 million to rehouse people still in camps.
Granted, Haiti’s recovery is a daunting, discouragingly slow affair. But calling it a day just because the emergency is over isn’t the answer. Canadian aid should continue to flow at a generous pace, and Ottawa should put more money into the Haitian government’s hands — subject to transparency and audit — to build up its capacity, and to put people to work building homes, small businesses, infrastructure and vital services. Now is not the.
The conclusion of the above story is that Haiti, though recovered from the emergency situation, it is still in the phase of re-development. Canada is doing its bit generously, but with recent cuts in the aid money would aggravate the problems of Haiti. It is the duty of the Canadian government to not abandon Haiti in its hard times.
What is the tone of the article? (1 Mark)
The author has used abstract words in the story like ‘reliable’, ‘temptation’, ‘unspent’ etc. and he also used specific words by mentioning the names of the places like ‘Canada’ and ‘Heiti’. He also even mentioned the names of the PM and minister instead of simply saying the PM. As, this story is about the Canada’s generosity and involves political information, the author chosen to use formal language. Here the author also used descriptive language to describe the exact situation of the Canada’s donation and helping nature towards Heiti.
Part 3: Read through the story below and answer the following questions. HIGHLIGHT/USE ANNOTATIONS (1 Mark)
When you purchase a lottery ticket or enter a casino, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) mantra is “know your limit, play within it.” Words to live by, because who among us wants to develop a gambling problem? Nobody. It’s not in anyone’s best interest and at the end of the day, provincial health care dollars will be spent treating those with a penchant to double down too often. That said, the government doesn’t seem to be slowing down on the number of ways residents can access gaming. With the introduction of PlayOLG online gaming recently, anyone can now place a bet or buy a lottery ticket from the comfort of their own home, even play the slots. The only thing they’ll need is Internet access. Revenue is bound to grow and that’s what the province needs as it grapples with an $10.5- billion budget deficit and debt approaching $300 billion. Though this may benefit the bottom line, government must be cognizant of the risks that come with increased gaming. According to the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre, 3.2 per cent of Canadian adults were affected by moderate to severe problem gambling in 2009. Further, The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry sites 2.2 per cent of youth aged 15 to 24 are affected by moderate-risk or problem gambling. Like the government’s revenues from gaming, these problem gambling numbers are bound to increase. According to the University of Calgary, three per cent of Canadians suffer from a gambling problem and the more gambling options made available, the worse the problem becomes. The ease of access to the OLG’s new online gaming site is unscrupulous. It’s just a matter of time before the media reports about the lives shattered by this enabler. Instructor Anne Coulter.