Thank you, Ms. McPherson. I'd be very happy to talk to you about the value of investing in Canadian NGOs or Canadian civil society organizations.
I think there are a number of benefits for working through Canadian CSOs. One, of course, is that with our long-term partnerships on the ground and our strong capacity, we're working with people in the country who know deeply over generations, over long time periods, what the issues are and have their own ideas for solving them, so we get to the localized and long-term solutions.
Another is that as Canadian civil society organizations with a strong support base across Canada, we can help to educate Canadians about the causes of poverty and some of the solutions through international development and try to build support and understanding for the program. In talking with many MPs, I know they often say that Canadians just don't understand the problems of international development, and that's one of the things we try hard to overcome as we build that understanding and support.
I think we're efficient at what we do. I think the cost factor is positive in our favour, but that's not to say that all money should go through Canadian civil society organizations. I think there has to be a balance. There are certain things the UN systems do well. There are certain things that work best if they're done bilaterally, government to government, but we need that balance.