Foreign Affairs Committee on March 25th, 2021

[Mala Khanna]

Mr. Chair, the Ethiopian prime minister has publicly welcomed international assistance and collaboration to investigate these allegations. As I said, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has also signalled its willingness to collaborate with relevant human rights agencies for the purpose of these investigations.

Canada is exploring how it may also be able to assist with the investigation. For more on that, I would turn to Michael Callan.

[Michael Callan, Director, Conflict Prevention, Stabilization and Peacebuilding, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development]

Thank you.

Mr. Chair, that's very much the case, and access has been a serious struggle in the past. There are new opportunities in front of us with the invitation for the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to conduct its investigation. It established a partnership with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Earlier today he announced the plans for their investigation are coming to ground, and so they're about to embark on an investigation together over a three-month period. That will be the test of the central government authorities: to see whether they get the full and unimpeded access they need.

To reiterate the point, we're in very close conversations with the OHCHR to see what type of role Canada could play to support that investigation.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Thank you.

I wondered about the issue of access to health care. I understand that Doctors Without Borders have been saying there has been looting at most of the health care centres, the majority of them, and people don't want to go to the health care centres. They can't go to them. The health care centres are not able to keep adequate equipment, etc. This is important, especially in light of COVID-19.

How can we make that access happen? What can we do about that in the name of humanitarian and public health access? What is going to happen? Is this going to spread to the surrounding regions of Sudan, Eritrea, etc.? Is COVID a spreadable thing in that region because of this lack of access? How are people coping? How are women who require pregnancy and postnatal care getting that kind of care? Are they getting it at all?

What's happening? I wonder what the situation is with regard to health care access.

[Mala Khanna]

Mr. Chair, for the questions around humanitarian assistance, I can turn to Tara.

[Tara Carney, Director, International Humanitarian Assistance Operations, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development]

I'm happy to speak to the humanitarian implications, particularly around the issue of health care.

Unfortunately, often in these conflict situations we have increasingly been seeing targeting and criminality around infrastructures the people rely on, health care being a key one among them. Obviously the goal will be longer-term restoration of those health systems, and development efforts will be needed to that end. In the immediate term, with the ramping up of the humanitarian response that we're starting to see now, that means we will have humanitarian partners supporting an emergency health service response, which will fill in some of the emerging gaps.

Whether it's enough [Technical difficulty—Editor] remains to be seen, but we will see partners like the ICRC doing more on the health side and partners like UNICEF able to deliver some of those maternal and child health services that the national system is not able to do at this time. Our humanitarian partners also have the mechanisms to bring these services to people, sometimes in ways that make them more comfortable to use them when there are protection issues around going to centres.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

This is my last question, and then I'm going to turn it over to Peter.

I know we're doing humanitarian partnerships like UNICEF and the United Nations, but what about Doctors Without Borders? Are you funding them? Are you helping them to get there and to gain access? They are actual health care providers.

[Tara Carney]

Indeed, they are right now. We aren't sending MSF currently. We are a close partner with MSF and have a program with them that provides them the ability to ask us when they need more emergency resources. However, based on our long-standing relationship, we interact and engage with them extensively on the ground. We are supporting partners like the ICRC as part of our humanitarian assistance this year, as well as UNICEF, both of whom have that health services component as part of their mandates.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Thank you.

[Peter Fonseca, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

I thank Dr. Fry for sharing her time.

I understand that Canada announced today an extra $34 million in humanitarian aid for Tigray. With everything that's going on with the conflict and COVID, can you explain how that money will be deployed, where it will be used and what the initiatives are? Are they at a macro level or a more micro level? Are they on the ground? Take us through where those dollars will be there to help.

[Mala Khanna]

Tara, do you want to go ahead?

[Tara Carney]

Yes, absolutely.

The $34 million that was announced today is our humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, recognizing that there are needs outside of Tigray in addition to the significant needs inside of Tigray. Within that package, approximately $25 million is going to the United Nations and the ICRC, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The funding is at more of a national level, which gives partners the flexibility to prioritize the magnitude of their response based on the needs they're seeing across the country.

Each of our UN partners supports coordination, food security, refugee supports and WASH health and education services. These partners will be on the ground, as they are already in the region and are able to respond to the needs.

The other equally important piece is that we are supporting a pooled fund, which is called the Ethiopia humanitarian fund. It is managed by the UNOCHA. It allows actors on the ground to provide support to NGOs and those who are most responsive to the crisis. Money will flow through it to those who are most in need as the crisis evolves.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

Thank you very much, Mr. Fonseca and Dr. Fry.

Mr. Bergeron, you have the floor for eight minutes.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

From the outside, it appears that Ethiopia is playing both the good cop and the bad cop. On the one hand, the Ethiopian government, which is party to this conflict, seems to be saying that it is prepared to look at the human rights situation in the Tigray and recognize that foreign troops are present on its territory. On the other hand, it has prevented access to non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, on the territory as well as to UN organizations. It keeps the troops in place and tolerates the presence of Eritrean troops in the territory

What exactly is the situation? Are the Ethiopian authorities reliable in this matter or are they not also part of the problem?

[Mala Khanna]

I think this illustrates the need for an independent and credible investigation into the alleged crimes. While we have seen increased access recently, which is [Technical difficulty—Editor] looking for, it is clear that more needs to be done. Canada has been trying to engage with like-minded countries to ensure that happens.

Canada signed on to a human rights statement, led by Germany, which was effectively asking for an investigation of human rights atrocities and humanitarian access. Canada has been, as I expressed in the opening statement, engaging bilaterally at the highest levels. It has been conveying concerns to the Government of Ethiopia around the need for humanitarian access, the need for an investigation of human rights and the need to ensure there can be a credible and democratic election in June to ensure the greatest hope for durable and long-term peace in the region has a chance.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Thank you.

By your own admission, Ethiopia has been one of the largest, if not the largest, recipients of Canadian aid in recent years. We wonder why, since you pointed out that it was probably one of the most dynamic economies on the African continent.

In any event, the European Union and the United States have suspended their aid to Ethiopia, but Canada has continued to provide money to Ethiopia, even though Ethiopia's role in this conflict is murky, so to speak.

How can we, on the one hand, express our concern to the Ethiopian government, as Minister Champagne and Minister Garneau and the Prime Minister have done and, on the other hand, continue to pay money to that country? I remain convinced that this country may not be as reliable as it claims to be on this issue.

When I see a government using its armed forces against its own citizens and allowing a foreign state to invade one of its territories, I wonder how it is that, unlike the European Union and the United States, we continue to pay what, by your own admission, is one of the most, if not the most, important contributions. I have a hard time understanding this ambiguous attitude on the part of Canada.

[Mala Khanna]

Mr. Chair, just on the question of international assistance, while it's true that Ethiopia, compared to other African countries, prior to the pandemic had been doing relatively well economically, the needs in that country, particularly for the poorest and most vulnerable and for women and children are actually very significant. The bilateral program and international assistance that Canada provides to Ethiopia are meant to address the very poorest and most vulnerable, many of whom have been hit—

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Let me interrupt you. I fully agree with you. Right now, it seems that the people in Ethiopia who are the most vulnerable and in the greatest need of assistance are the Tigray people. But the aid isn't reaching them.

I understand what you're saying, but it seems to me that there's a dichotomy in the message. We want to help the most vulnerable, those who need help the most and, obviously, the people who need it the most right now are the people of Tigray. Yet, the Ethiopian government is not allowing the aid to get to them.

[Mala Khanna]

Mr. Chair, Canada does not provide its direct budget support to the Government of Ethiopia. It provides its international assistance to trusted international partners, such as the World Bank, and other partners, such as the ones that Tara was referring to. The money itself is going to the people in Tigray via these trusted partners. It does not go directly to the Government of Ethiopia.

I'll ask Ian if he wants to provide any further clarification.

[Ian Myles]

Actually, we don't provide humanitarian or long-term development assistance directly to the Ethiopian government. We work with trusted partners—primarily Canadian NGOs or international organizations, including the World Bank—that are addressing the most widespread food insecurity and health problems.

Ethiopia is a huge country. It has 110 million people or more, and the Tigray population accounts for 7% of it. According to our sources, the main obstacle to humanitarian access right now is the duration of the conflict. They aren't necessarily obstacles from the government per se. There are several parties in the current conflict. The forces of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, obviously control part of the Tigray and are part of the challenges faced by humanitarian and international organizations.

As far as I know, neither the United States nor the European Union has completely stopped providing assistance to Ethiopia. The European Union has ended its direct budget support, but not all of its support in Ethiopia. The United States has suspended aid only in the security sector, and aid in other areas continues. In fact, the U.S. has significantly increased its humanitarian aid, as has Canada with $34 million in aid.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

Thank you very much, Mr. Myles.

Thank you, Mr. Bergeron.

The final eight-minute intervention goes to Mr. Harris.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Thank you very much.

Similarly to what Mr. Bergeron is concerned about, I am confused by the position that Canada appears to be taking.

We have recent knowledge and confirmation of what was going on in Tigray in November in terms of the human rights abuses now being admitted by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and by the President of Ethiopia. We've also had ongoing calls by other countries, such as by the United States and by the European Union in particular, publicly demanding the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Tigray.

The Canadian government, however, doesn't seem to agree with that position. As recently as this week, Minister Gould, when asked whether Canada would follow the U.S. and the EU in demanding the withdrawal of the Eritrean troops, said that the federal government prefers to take a backroom approach and talked about humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia.

I am wondering, in view of the comments by the European Union saying that Eritrean soldiers are fuelling the conflict, reportedly committing atrocities and exacerbating ethnic violence, why Canada would take a different view from that, and whether this is exactly the case.

I'd like to understand that a little bit.

[Mala Khanna]

Mr. Chair, Canada has been speaking out about what has been happening in the conflict right from the very first moment and has been working very closely with the international community to coordinate messaging, as an example, through the human rights statement that called upon the Eritreans to leave. Just this morning I was part of an Africa directors G7 group in which Tigray was very much a focus of discussion. Canada will continue to work closely with the international community.

At the same time, Canada has had several very frank and candid conversations with the Ethiopian government in which concerns have been expressed, and Canada—

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Could you answer me whether or not we are doing what Minister Gould said, talking behind the scenes? Are we calling for the Eritrean troops to leave Tigray? It appears that they are fuelling the atrocities.

There may be atrocities on more than one side, and I think that has been acknowledged, but surely the road towards peace involves having the Eritrean troops out of Tigray and another solution being found.

Are you supporting that?

[Mala Khanna]

Canada has called for investigation of the atrocities regardless of who has committed them, and Canada has participated with the international community in calling for Eritrea to leave, via that human rights statement, which was led by Germany.

This is a very dynamic situation. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Abiy himself indicated that Eritrea is in Ethiopia. I think, then, at this point we are in a situation in which that is very much understood and accepted.

I'll ask—

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

I'm sorry; you're not being clear here. You're saying that Prime Minister Abiy has said that Eritrea is in Ethiopia. I don't know what you mean. Is it that they're in Tigray and that you think this is a good thing?