My job is rewarding, but I'll admit, sometimes working in the campaign to end poverty can get a little discouraging. Every time you seem to be making progress, dreadful things happen and it all starts rolling back down the hill.

That's why for very personal reasons, I am so happy when "STAND UP" comes around. It's restorative. For four years now, millions of people across this world of ours, come together over three days to "STAND UP AND TAKE ACTION NOW TO END POVERTY." It's inspiring. And it's as if the event is on steroids, it's growing so rapidly.

Canada will need to offer global leadership as host of G8 in 2010 to deliver results on unfinished business from this year's G8. Weak leadership by the Italian host, Prime Minister Berlusconi, has resulted in very few concrete new initiatives for the world's poor at the G8 Summit that ended today. Having cut its aid spending by 56 per cent this year, Italy lacked the moral authority or will to address the challenges posed by the economic, climate change and food crisies which treatens to reverse the real progress that has been made in reducing global poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. This is a shame because the change in the U.S.