Acknowledgements
This volume would not have been possible without the strong support of several organizations and many individuals. Global Affairs Canada encouraged the editors to pursue this project from an early date and generously helped fund a public symposium where contributors were able to showcase their research. This conference was only made possible by additional support from the history departments of both Carleton and Bishop’s universities.
The editors also received substantial support and encouragement from a diverse group of people interested in the history of Canadian foreign aid and international history: Peter Boehm, Nicole Favreau, Mary Halloran, Geneviève Houle, Natasha Joukovskaia, Lilly Nicholls, Denis Robert, and Keith Spicer.
The success of our conference owed much to the efforts of the individuals who chaired its sessions: Deirdre Kent, Sandelle Scrimshaw, Anne-Marie Bourcier, Betty Plewes, David Stockwell, and Émile Gauvreau. They carried out their duties with good humour and panache, enlivening the academic proceedings with sharp observations and engaging reminisces from the field.
Professor Pierre Beaudet of the University of Ottawa stepped in at the last moment to fill an unexpected programming gap with a frank and iconoclastic account of Canadian aid in the Middle East. It is our loss that he was unable to take on the burden of writing a chapter for this book.
We offer a heartfelt thanks to our editorial collaborators at the University of Calgary Press, too. Over the last decade, we have relied on their expertise for several projects, and each time, they have responded with a demonstrable commitment to accessible and affordable academic excellence.
Finally, we are especially grateful for the exceptional support and enthusiasm offered by Professor Dominique Marshall, director of the Canadian Network on Humanitarian History. Dominique helped shape this collection from its very beginnings, and has become an ardent champion for the history of Canadian foreign aid. She brought with her three exceptional students from Carleton: Julie Van Drie, Tyler Owens, and Sean Eedy.