Status of Women Committee on May 26th, 2010

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

I have one last question to ask, Madam Chair. Do I have time for it?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

You have one and a half minutes.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

You said at the beginning that maternal health is one of the goals currently lagging the furthest behind. Since you have made maternal health your priority on the eve of the G8, will you reduce your funding of other initiatives in order to be able to inject the necessary financing—financing that is not yet known? What mechanisms will you establish to help you select the countries that will receive priority consideration? And how will you choose from among the projects submitted to you?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Again, thank you for the question. Maybe I can explain that when--

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

You have a minute to do so.

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

I will do the fullest I can to answer the question.

When you host a G8 initiative, it's the prerogative of the host to announce the focus of the G8 and to encourage support. The actual commitment by the host country will be made by the leaders at the leaders' summit in June. We've outlined the principles and we've outlined possible actions, and I know that all of my counterparts, the G8 ministers, are now home in their countries also putting together what they will come forward with in June for their leaders to announce as support.

As far as financing goes, we will not need to take money away from other programs. As you know, our government has been increasing its international aid by 8% every year. That 8% remains in the base of CIDA and our international assistance; then we build 8% on top of that. That brings us to $500 million for international assistance, the largest amount ever in the history of Canada. We have 8% this year, our G8 year, that is brand new money, and out of that money we're confident that we can do our part to support a G8 initiative.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Now I can go to Ms. Wong, for the Conservatives.

[Alice Wong, Conservative, Richmond, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister Oda and Minister Ambrose.

This is a question for Minister Oda.

First of all, I'd like to congratulate you for the good work of CIDA under your leadership on behalf of Canada abroad. I just came back from the Philippines and visiting the World Vision resettlement camp in Antipolo. We donated a good chunk of money to help those who suffered in the typhoon, and I am glad to tell you that everybody there thanked Canada for all the great work CIDA has done. They are now staying in temporary camps, but they will be moving to a permanent resettlement area that all the foreign aid partners worked together to build and will be used very soon.

There is now clean water, and I'm very happy to tell you that although some of the children were not in very good health at first, on the spot our ambassador there has done a great job. He's now working with World Vision to put together a proposal to make sure the children and women will get the best health care they can. I would like to congratulate you on that.

Our government is committed to helping those who are in need all over the world, and clearly our government is also committed to assisting women and children. Our G8 initiative is on that very subject.

Can you comment on the track record this government has in meeting commitments, particularly in Africa, and doubling our aid? The opposition continually claims that we are abandoning Africa. Is there any merit in their accusations?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Thank you very much for the question.

We are not abandoning Africa, as you've said that others are saying. In fact, rather than rhetoric, our facts and our actions will speak louder.

Certainly, as the minister, I noted that many times countries and governments will go to conferences, will make large announcements, make pledges, etc., and not fulfill those commitments and pledges. That is why accountability is so important when you're doing development work. If you don't fulfill your commitments, it means the countries or the recipients have no way of having any predictability, and that's why in Halifax the G8 ministers decided that we would ask the OECD to do some work for us to ensure that we can increase the predictability of our aid support to all developing countries.

Regarding Africa specifically, I've said this, and I will say it again, because I'm very proud of it. It has been noted by our partners, it has been noted internationally, and it has been noted by NGOs and even in a recently released report that Canada has met its commitment to double its aid to Africa, which was part of the Gleneagles G8 commitment. We did that one year ahead of the deadline and we maintain that doubling aid level.

In fact, we are meeting our commitment for the African education program and the African health systems program. And as far as our ongoing commitment to Africa is concerned, I want to point out that 67% of our food aid went to Africa, 60% of our agricultural support is going to Africa, and 45% of our multilateral support is being directed to Africa. One of the criteria upon which we base the provision of support is need, and it is unfortunate that there is such a great need in Africa.

I want to point out to you that 24% of the global burden of disease is in developing countries, but only 3% of the world's health workers are in those countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, they need three times the number of health workers they have currently. They need over one million new health workers.

So when we talk about providing access to qualified, trained health workers in their communities, the need is immense. That's why it's important that we, as G8 ministers, provide a comprehensive approach so that we have trained health workers who are properly equipped and properly resourced and in facilities that are closer to the most vulnerable, those women living in the most remote and the least accessible areas. When you look at the numbers of children under five who are dying and at maternal mortality, you'll see this is prevalent. The majority of cases are in Africa.

Our G8 commitment means that a lot of our support will go to Africa. We have not abandoned Africa. In fact, this government has increased its commitment to Africa. But we're making our commitment meaningful and we're going to make sure that it's going to make a difference in the lives of those mothers and children.

[Alice Wong, Conservative, Richmond, BC]

Thank you very much, Minister.

Our witnesses in our other panels have already told us exactly what you have identified: the need for trained medical staff who will make themselves available to these people who need our help.

We know that the actual details and logistics of Canada's contribution to our G8 initiative will be announced at the G8 meeting; however, much of the debate on this issue has been sidetracked by the opposition's political tactics. Can you tell this committee how, in your opinion, addressing the little details, which are generally left out in favour of the big sensational issues, will save lives?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Well, as Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said in discussions when he was in Canada, what the mothers and children in developing countries need is less rhetoric and more action. In the House today, I indicated that in a study that has come out the CEO of the organization said it would be a shame if such a worthwhile initiative were to be “sidetracked” by divisive debate and discussion.

There is so much that we can do. There is so much that is effective. We know what the tools are. They're simple. We just have to make sure that we can bring the package together.

This is why we've asked the World Health Organization to provide us with guidance on what a good, qualified health worker in a local community should be trained for and should be equipped with, and what nutrition, what vitamins, and what immunization should be in that package. This is what we mean by a comprehensive approach. We have agreement by all the G8 ministers that this is the best way to go, because the experts are telling us this is the best way to go.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

We now have Ms. Mathyssen from the NDP.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Ministers, for being here and for bringing your staff.

I would like to begin with Ms. Biggs, the president of CIDA. I want to know from you in terms of working with partners on the ground if you could tell us and reference any other G8 partners you are aware of that may have a similar view to that of our government when it comes to reproductive health, specifically those that are tagging the kinds of things they will fund. For example, are any others you're aware of saying that they won't fund abortion?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

I can answer that, if I may. Ms. Biggs will give you the information that I can provide to you as well, because it was a study that I personally did by checking into, I guess, our partner agencies and countries' policies. We all share the international definitions that we all work by. As we've indicated, in Canada's G8 package, we've picked a focus on actions that will be cost effective, that will have high impact, etc.

As indicated also by the Prime Minister, countries, because they built up expertise.... A couple of European countries have done very good work on water and sanitation, an important contributing factor in the good health of mothers and children, and they want to continue that work. As you know, one of the most prevalent causes of children's death is diarrhea. We need good clean water there. The other thing--

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

That's fine. Thank you, Minister. I appreciate that.

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

To answer your question--

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

No, you haven't answered my question. I'd like to go back to Ms. Biggs.

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

To answer your question, my answer is that everybody--

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

But you haven't answered my question.

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

--abides by the same definition--

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Order, please.

[Margaret Biggs, President, Canadian International Development Agency]

It's not my role to advise the committee on the advice that we give to ministers. I can confirm that the information is widely available and that, as the minister made very clear, background information is always supplied to the government and to ministers, and the government makes its own choices in that regard.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you.

To both ministers, do you believe in a woman's right to choose in regard to reproductive health?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Edmonton—Spruce Grove, AB]

As you know, the Prime Minister.... I answered this question in the House today. The Prime Minister made this government's position very clear this week when he said, and I quote, “...I will oppose any attempt to create a new abortion law”. I think we cannot be any clearer than that. The Prime Minister made these comments this week, and the government has reiterated this position several times.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you.

I do hope he's told Mr. Bruinooge that.

I want to get back to the issue of family planning. You keep talking about family planning and the importance of that. Of course, it's very important to provide women with the opportunity to space their children, but you haven't addressed things like rape. There are places where rape is a weapon used against women. What do you say to the young woman who is 12 or 14 years old who needs the support of a clinic that will provide her with an abortion? Do you say, no, sorry, go away...?