Thank you.
My name is Duncan Kirby and I'm a volunteer with Engineers Without Borders.
In budget 2018, we ask that Canada commit to a timetable of predictable annual increases to the international assistance envelope that would bring Canada's development assistance to 0.3% of GNI within this government's first mandate.
Canada's current level of development assistance is 0.26% GNI, which is the lowest in recent history. Although, according to the OECD, development assistance globally has increased by 9% in the past year, Canada's own contribution has declined by 4%. This is disappointing.
Increasing aid would help Canada to achieve the sustainable development goals and increase economic growth. Forthcoming research from the Canadian international development platform suggests that countries receiving development assistance tend to import more Canadian goods than they would without aid.
We hope that budget 2018 can correct this downward spending trend so that Canada fulfills its global commitments.
Thank you for your time.