Evidence of meeting #21 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was aid.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:55 p.m.
Bloc
Vivian Barbot Bloc Papineau, QC
For the period from 2001 to 2009, in other words, from the beginning to the end of Canada's commitment, given that we voted...
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
3:55 p.m.
Bloc
Vivian Barbot Bloc Papineau, QC
I would prefer to finish my question, if that is all right with you.
3:55 p.m.
Bloc
Vivian Barbot Bloc Papineau, QC
Official departmental press releases indicate aid will total some $800 million. However, if you add up the budgets for CIDA-financed projects in Afghanistan, you get a total of around $255 million.
We would therefore like to know how much CIDA grants to projects in Southern Afghanistan, and, more specifically, to projects in the Kandahar region.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
Josée Verner Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Okay. The budget for Afghanistan, from 2001 to 2011, is $1 billion or $100 million per year.
It is estimated that, of the $100 million, $15 million will have been spent in the province of Kandahar by the end of the year.
3:55 p.m.
Bloc
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
Josée Verner Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
No, that is only for this year, for the reasons that I set out earlier in response to another question. The projects have to be selected. The money is available, and as soon as the Afghanis decide which projects should have priority, we go ahead and release the requisite funding.
4 p.m.
Bloc
Vivian Barbot Bloc Papineau, QC
Could you explain to us why the majority of Canadian aid to Afghanistan is not managed and distributed directly by the Afghan government?
4 p.m.
Conservative
Josée Verner Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
As I said earlier in my presentation, when it comes to development aid, one size does not necessarily fit all. We had to consider the government's capacity to manage money from the institutions. We support the various programs that the government has implemented, but in the interests of accountability, when it comes to providing funding, we work extensively with partners such as the World Bank, the institution that congratulated CIDA on the way that it spends its aid dollars in Afghanistan.
4 p.m.
Bloc
Vivian Barbot Bloc Papineau, QC
Fine.
We know that it is difficult to get humanitarian aid to its intended recipients. It seems that CIDA is doing well on this front. You made reference to comments of an international organization to let us know that CIDA is performing well. I am glad to hear it.
Obviously, Canada cannot rebuild Afghanistan alone. That is why I would like to know exactly what the government is doing to help ensure that humanitarian aid reaches its intended recipients.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Josée Verner Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Of course, we work with Canadian NGOs and with NGOs on the ground. However, you have to understand that what we basically do is development aid. The government of Afghanistan was elected democratically. It asked for our help, we agreed to provide that help, and now we are there along with 35 other countries.
4 p.m.
Bloc
Vivian Barbot Bloc Papineau, QC
Did you say that the greatest part of Canadian aid goes towards development?
4 p.m.
Bloc
Vivian Barbot Bloc Papineau, QC
You often hear that there is no integrity within the Afghan government and that there are huge corruption problems.
Is Canada doing anything about that, since you are a partner of the Afghan government?
4 p.m.
Conservative
Josée Verner Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
As I said previously, our government has been congratulated on its approach by one of the World Bank's administrators; he said that CIDA should be congratulated for the way it has ensured that the money is spent properly.
There are different approaches. I believe the World Bank hired an outside auditing firm to make sure that the money was being well spent properly. Of course, before we provide money there, we make sure that projects are advancing at a reasonable pace. We keep a close eye on the situation. I repeat, one of the leaders of the World Bank congratulated us on the work we have done.
4 p.m.
Conservative
4 p.m.
Bloc
Vivian Barbot Bloc Papineau, QC
As far as Canadian aid and the provincial reconstruction teams are concerned, on Monday, October 16, Brigadier General Howard said before the Senate Committee on Natural Security and Defence that several provincial reconstruction teams were waiting for CIDA to come through with funding before they could go ahead with several projects.
Why is CIDA slow in funding the provincial reconstruction teams and their projects? Does Canada fear that this funding will go towards military and political objectives rather than development objectives?
4 p.m.
Conservative
Josée Verner Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
If you want to do development work in Kandahar, you need security, and we are working in partnership with officers from National Defence. I would like to categorically restate that CIDA is not withholding funding. A series of rapid action projects have already been put in place to improve things for the people there. I repeat, the situation is more difficult in Kandahar. We have to have security, but we nevertheless have some projects in the area. I have recently announced some of them. CIDA is not withholding funding for those projects.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
And thank you, Minister, for coming.
Madam Minister, I would like to say it's just amazing how this member opposite came on the attack and said that the Afghanistan aid policy was a failure, when we remember that it was his government that sent people over there and committed money. Not only that, but standing up in the House of Commons last time, he doesn't want to help the people of Afghanistan--the poor, the women--and support the reconstruction that has been done over there. He even stood up in the House of Commons and said he wants to invade Sudan. Can you imagine that? He wants to invade Sudan in the 21st century. Colonialism is gone, I say to my honourable colleague out there.
What I want to say, Minister, is I came back from the Great Lakes region of Africa. In August I was there. You just mentioned the Democratic Republic of Congo. I met over thirty NGOs out there who came out and said that Canada, CIDA, was doing an excellent job in bringing peace and stability there. I just came back with the foreign affairs committee, which was meeting in Europe, and over there, every country--the Scandinavian countries--had a high degree of respect for CIDA, for Canada, doing its humanitarian work out there. CIDA is well regarded. In the recipient countries they look to us for security and for providing what they really need. And yet these gentlemen over there, across--
4:05 p.m.
An hon. member
We have good people in CIDA.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Because it is not the flavour of the day, he's attacking Afghanistan. I want to tell this honourable member that in Afghanistan we are there for reconstruction. It still remains number one, if we're going to fight for security.
What I want to say, Minister, is CIDA has done a good job and we have a very high degree of respect wherever we go.
