Evidence of meeting #33 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was project.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
But my question is are the key players just financial ones, or do you have people working for you on the ground? Do you have people there, let's say, from the Danish government? Do you have NGOs from the Danish government working with you?
Director, Ukraine Civil Service Human Resources Management Reform Project, Canadian Bureau for International Education
In those particular cases working with the others, say the Danish government or the Irish government, it tends to be public servants who come, but not NGOs explicitly.
Liberal
Director, Ukraine Civil Service Human Resources Management Reform Project, Canadian Bureau for International Education
Correct.
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Okay.
In response to a previous question from one of my colleagues, you said you're involved in the Middle East. Which country are you involved in there, and what's your mandate in the Middle East?
Vice-President (Retired), Canadian Bureau for International Education, As an Individual
We have had scholarship and exchange programs with Kuwait and Oman, and have a big scholarship program with Libya currently. In the past we also had a CIDA-funded project with Lebanon. So there has been a long history of involvement with different countries there.
But the biggest so far has been a long-running Libyan scholarship program, particularly with medical students to Canada. And now CBIE is managing a U.S.-Canada scholarship program for the Libyan government. It's the biggest program in the Middle East that CBIE now has.
Vice-President (Retired), Canadian Bureau for International Education, As an Individual
No, it actually started a year ago and is ongoing. It has just now been completely put in place. So no, it's a new program.
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Who supervises your work when you're funded by CIDA? Is it CIDA itself that supervises your work?
Vice-President (Retired), Canadian Bureau for International Education, As an Individual
Yes, we report to CIDA, which supervises the work. So we report to and are accountable to CIDA, both for finances and actual activities. We also have a steering committee where both partners are in place, with Ukrainian government representing Ukraine. So we have a steering committee for the projects, where both the beneficiary partner and the Canadian government are represented.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
Thank you very much to our witnesses for taking the time to be here today. I apologize for being late, but it was great to hear some of the feedback.
Mr. Dewar.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I do have a quick agenda item, but before our guests go, I just want to mention how impressed I was with some of the young people I met today at lunch. I was invited to speak to some of the students who are here from other countries and from the program you're helping to run. It was absolutely fantastic and very impressive. I understand that the competition is extreme and that the candidates we have here in Canada are the best of the best. The diversity of candidates, in terms of their discipline and also where they come from, is exceptional. So it's work well done.
Director, Ukraine Civil Service Human Resources Management Reform Project, Canadian Bureau for International Education
Thank you.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Now for the agenda item: the estimates are here. It's exciting, isn't it? I'm excited.
On that note, it's a tradition or practice that we have the ministers here to go over the estimates. So I thought we could bring that up with our clerk to see if we could invite Ministers Oda and Cannon to committee with regard to the estimates.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
We'll have the clerk call their offices and get some dates and times for us. How's that sound?
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
I simply have a comment, Mr. Chairman. Who decided that today, the work of the committee would end at 5 o'clock, as it says on our notice of meeting? I would have liked us to set aside a half hour to discuss future business or motions because there is a backlog. That would have been useful. There are topics that greatly merit our attention.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
We're going to have a subcommittee meeting in the first week back.
We have a vote, and the bells are in five minutes anyway. So it was a short meeting today. We'll have that subcommittee meeting as soon as we get back.
The meeting is adjourned.