Honourable members, where would you be without your education? Today, 130 million girls are not in school, not because they don't want to go, but because they are denied the right to do so.
Canada has the opportunity to put a stop to this crisis. With just 2ยข per Canadian per day, we can lead the way to providing every child with a quality education. Every dollar invested in an additional year of schooling generates earnings and health benefits of approximately $10 in low-income countries. It is also estimated that about one-third of the decrease in adult mortality since 1970 can be attributed to gains in the education of women and girls, and an additional year of schooling for girls generates an almost 12% increase in wages.
Let's invest in quality education for every girl in budget 2018.