Juggling demands: Canadian health aid to Latin America since World War II.

Since the development of the Commonwealth's 1950 Colombo Plan (Canada's first official aid program), health-related development assistance has been an important instrument of Canadian foreign policy, allowing it to gain a presence in a range of countries and help to shape international affairs. This pattern is evident in the history of Canadian multilateral and bilateral health aid to Latin America.This analysis draws on historical material from the Departments of External Affairs and National Health and Welfare held at the Library and National Archives of Canada regarding Canadian involvement with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and program information from the Canadian International Development Agency's (CIDA) Corporate Reporting Services Group.Canada was initially a tentative player in the region. However, as Canadian foreign policy interests shifted towards the region in the 1970s, Canada used both multilateral and bilateral health aid to establish a presence in Latin America that was independent from, yet unthreatening to, United States hegemony in the region.The impact of Canada's provision of health aid to Latin America via PAHO and CIDA has been largely symbolic, allowing Canada to pursue an independent foreign policy in the region and to foster a positive international image for itself with minimal spending.