Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think this is an important topic to discuss.
I want to note in the description of the general issues certainly one of the concerns that we have raised. We support providing emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Pakistan, but we are concerned about the mechanism for the matching funding program. Repeatedly, we see with this government that matching programs have been put in place that only match contributions to a limited number of organizations. That has the effect of excluding many smaller local organizations that may have a significant presence on the ground and making it harder for them to fundraise.
We've supported providing emergency humanitarian assistance. We've also called on the government to address these problems and inequities in matching programs. We've been consistent in raising this in the context of Ukraine, in the context of Lebanon and in other situations. I think it's an important issue to study, and we'll certainly want to raise some of those questions and hear from stakeholders about the matching program.
I want to propose an amendment that stems from my belief that if we're going to do something, we should do it well, and we should have enough energy to do it. Therefore, I'm proposing the following amendment. Where it says “one”, strike “one” and replace it with “three” and add an “s” at the end of “meeting”. It would say, “That the committee hold at least three meetings”, and then, further on down, “that witnesses include Minister Sajjan, officials from Global Affairs”, etc., and adding at the end “and that the committee report to the House on its findings”.
The full revised motion would read, “That the committee hold at least three meetings on the extreme flooding in Pakistan and what support is needed by the Pakistani people during this time of need; that witnesses include Minister Sajjan, officials from Global Affairs Canada, civil society organizations providing aid on the ground, and other relevant experts; and that the committee report to the House on its findings.”