Good morning, everyone.
Thank you, first of all, for the opportunity to speak here today.
My name is Taylor Livingston, and I am a student who is part of the University of Manitoba chapter of Engineers Without Borders Canada.
Engineers Without Borders Canada is an NGO that invests in people and ventures to create a thriving and sustainable world. We have a community of 40 university and professional chapters, and 2,500 active members. We provide seed funding, talent, and mentorship to social enterprises throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
I'm speaking to you today because the Government of Canada has committed to restoring and renewing international assistance to refocus on the poorest and most vulnerable people, particularly on women and girls. Canada has already taken steps to actively re-engage on the world stage.
These announcements are welcome, but Canada's recent levels of development assistance are the lowest for any modern Canadian prime minister, and slight in comparison to our G7 counterparts. They impair our ability to implement the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
In budget 2017 I'd like to ask that Canada commit to predictable increases to 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 Canada can deliver on implementation of the 2030 sustainable development agenda.
Making a strong ODA commitment aligns with the ministerial mandate, and ii is a decisive stepping stone toward early progress on the sustainable development goals.
Thank you for your time.