Honourable members, where would you be without your education? Well, 130 million girls are out of school. If they were a country, they would be the 10th largest. Think about that lost potential.
Canada contributes about 2¢ per Canadian per day to global education. According to the education commission, it's indispensable to double our contribution if we want to close the gap and provide every girl with the opportunity to go to school.
We know the facts. Education is one of the most powerful interventions, and it's fundamental to breaking the cycle of extreme poverty.
This means that just 2¢ more, and Canada can lead the way in helping to educate 130 million engineers, entrepreneurs, doctors, and perhaps our next world leaders or finance ministers.
Today we ask Canada to contribute to the Global Partnership for Education in 2018, so we can help millions of girls in the poorest countries get the education they need. That's my two cents.
Thank you.