My name is Elly Vandenberg, and I'm the director of World Vision Canada's Ottawa office. World Vision is one of the largest international relief, development, and advocacy organizations in Canada. More than half a million Canadians give regularly to support our child-focused community-based work to end poverty.
The pre-budget consultation period is an important time to remind you that Canadians support spending on international development. This morning, World Vision released new evidence that showed that Canadians are more compassionate than citizens in any other G-7 country towards issues related to poverty, especially HIV and AIDS. Eighty-four percent of Canadians think that the Canadian government should do more to help children who are orphaned by AIDS and AIDS-related illnesses around the world. Ninety percent of Canadians agree that even if we can't prevent more people from getting infected by HIV, we have a moral obligation to try.
On the eve of World AIDS Day, these compelling findings send a strong message to you that Canadians are supportive of spending our tax dollars to improve the lives of children around the world.
Last year alone, Canadians gave $300 million to support World Vision's work with the poor. One specific thing many Canadians can do to help people around the world is to give to charities. Changes in tax rules for charitable giving make a difference in encouraging Canadians to give. We've seen a 800% increase in the dollar value of publicly traded securities donated due to the recent elimination of personal gains tax. World Vision supporters appreciate these types of initiatives.
Our brief outlines specific changes to encourage giving. Our monthly donors number as many as all Canadian political party supporters combined. Surely their gifts should be eligible for the same kind of tax credit as political party contributions are.
Charitable donations are an important part of ensuring that Canada's tax system is structured to help eliminate poverty, but charitable donations alone are not enough. The reach of private charities must be complemented by the much larger reach of a healthy and effective aid budget.
Canada has made a longstanding commitment to dedicating 0.7% of our gross national income to international development. Although today's World Vision poll suggests that Canada should be a leader in dedicating resources to the elimination of poverty, as a country we have fallen far behind. Canada is not even halfway to meeting the 0.7% target.
Dedicating more resources to aid will be helpful only if they're spent effectively. Effective aid is assistance that recognizes that both governments and non-governmental organizations have an important role to play. We ask you to ensure that Canada's approach to international aid be informed by clear guidelines that uphold the importance of transparency and accountability, and most importantly that it deliver meaningful change to the lives of people to have their needs met, their rights realized and protected.
There's a bill in the Senate now that will provide and improve aid effectiveness. I ask you to encourage your colleagues to support it.
In conclusion, last month in many elementary schools, children practised giving speeches. I asked my 12-year-old son to time me for this presentation. We talked about 0.7% and what it actually means. I told him about its 36-year history. Two years ago all Canadian parties supported the idea of achieving 0.7%. Prime Minister Harper gave an election commitment to do better than previous governments on growing Canada's aid spending.
I said to my son, “It's like this. Our gross national income can be represented by seven boxes of timbits. Each box has 20 of those little donuts. If we take one of these Timbits out of one of these boxes, the one Timbit represents 0.7%. If you take just one small bite out of the Timbit, that bite represents what we now give to overseas development assistance.”
I said to him, “Your mom thinks we should give more. World Vision supporters think we should give more. An international poll released this morning demonstrates that Canadians are generous and compassionate and want their government to give more.”
We have the resources to end world poverty. All we lack is the political will. It's up to you, our parliamentary representatives, to do the right thing. As you weigh the value of the different Timbits of the gross national income, structure Canada's tax system to enable our government to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.
Thank you.