Evidence of meeting #41 for Finance in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was saskatchewan.
1:45 p.m.
As an Individual
There is a network of 40 chapters and 2,500 members nationwide. Engineers Without Borders provides seed funding, talent, and mentorship. We're here today on behalf of the University of Regina chapter.
We'd like to begin with a quote from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's address to the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, that “We are Canadian. And we're here to help.”
We're here today to talk about increasing Canada's international assistance envelope for budget 2017.
1:50 p.m.
As an Individual
In budget 2016 the Government of Canada committed to restoring and renewing international assistance to refocus on the poorest and most vulnerable people. Canada has already taken initial steps on a long journey to actively re-engage on the world stage.
In September, the Prime Minister successfully hosted the fifth replenishment conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. As part of a collective effort, donor countries raised $13 billion and Canada committed $108 million to combat these diseases that predominantly effect developing countries.
More recently, Canada has announced $2.6 billion for the Green Climate Fund; welcomed 31,000 Syrian refugees; adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and announced its intention to bid for a 2020 seat on the UN Security Council.
We welcome all these announcements, but Canada's recent levels of development assistance are the lowest for any modern Canadian Prime Minister. They lag behind in comparison to our G-7 counterparts, and that has the potential to impair our ability to implement the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Making a strong official development assistance commitment, beginning in budget 2017 would not only signal a reframing of Canada's international assistance and make a global statement of progressive Canadian values, but it would also align with the ministerial mandate. It is a decisive stepping stone toward early progress on the agenda for sustainable development. It would also lead to achieving key results for women and girls, continue to reduce early childhood deaths, and increase equality and economic opportunities for all.
Predictable increases in the international assistance envelope should be continued toward matching our G-7 partners' contributions to official development assistance and toward filling the global gap in sustainable development funding. This funding should be directed to deliver long-term development programs to the poorest and most vulnerable peoples, particularly those living in fragile and conflict areas. Canada must increase the level of its international assistance envelope funding to match our ambitions to deliver an evidence-based, long-term development strategy and to deliver it in a predictable manner.
We would like the Canadian government to commit to long-term, predictable increases with a publicly available timeline that emphasizes poverty reduction. We feel that in budget 2017 Canada should commit to increasing the international assistance envelope by 10% annually for 2019 and 2020, and commit to a timetable to double the that envelope by 2023 to reach the UN target of 0.7% of GNI before 2030.
We're asking you to write to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance to ask for a commitment in budget 2017 to predictable increases and new additional funding for the international assistance envelope of 10% annually to the end of the 42nd Parliament, with a publicly available timetable to double the envelope by 2023 to ensure that Canada can deliver on implementation of the 2030 sustainable development agenda.
In this age of globalization, it's our duty as a thriving nation to lend our help where we are able and where it is desperately needed.
Thank you for your time.
1:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
Thank you very much. It's great to see young people come before the committee and make their point of view.
Thank you very much, ladies.
The meeting is adjourned.