Foreign Affairs Committee on Feb. 16th, 2023

[Joshua Tabah]

I'm sorry if I misspoke, but the $489 million was for fiscal year 2020-21.

I don't yet have a figure for 2021-22. We will close our books only in March of this year, so at that point I'll be able to provide you with a figure for 2021-22, and then next year for 2022-23—

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Okay. Thank you.

[Joshua Tabah]

I would just say informally that we are on track to hit that $700 million in spending in 2023-24, and then again, there will be a lag of about a year and a half before we can formally confirm that this is what we have spent.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

It's interesting, because the response that Global Affairs Canada gave me is different from the numbers you're giving me, but I can look into that after.

Of that $489 million, can you tell me what percentage is going to what size of organization? You talked a little bit about not wanting to write these massive cheques to perhaps the big multilateral organizations. What percentage of that money is going to small or medium-sized organizations, local Canadian-based CSOs?

[Joshua Tabah]

I can provide that level of detail, again, for fiscal year 2020-21, which I know seems like the ancient past right now, but unfortunately that's how long it takes us to close the books.

For that year, roughly half of the investments we made were through international organizations through our multilateral branch. They weren't all large, though. Some of them are very large. We have to provide a significant amount of funding to the Global Fund so they can respond at scale, to provide the reproductive and HIV services we want.

About 30% of that spending went to civil society organizations. I don't have that disaggregated data with respect to whether they were international or local or Canadian civil society organizations, so I can get back to you.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Please do.

[Joshua Tabah]

Then, about 5% was spent through partner governments directly, and then there are a variety of other kinds of organizations that fit in there. Essentially, a very significant amount went through the global health institutions, which include the Global Fund, Gavi for immunizations, and the World Health Organization for both normative and health systems work, and then a lot of the CSOs doing really important community-level work in terms of the delivery, but also working with partner governments for some of that non-budget support when we have pooled funds.

I'm getting a note from the chair that I'm almost at time.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Tabah.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Thank you.

We now go, for the second round of questioning, to MP Epp. We have three minutes for this round.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses.

I should share, as others have, that I'm honoured and blessed to have four daughters. One is a nurse, one an administrator and one a lawyer, so we've had many good family room discussions on many subjects that I'm involved with.

Prior to being elected, I also had the honour to serve with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, an organization that delivers aid internationally, works through partner organizations, as the briefing notes show here as well, and works toward SDG 2 on zero hunger. I recall, 40 years ago, on our own farm, bagging yellow corn to support that organization. It was being shipped to Africa. The reason I raise this is that later on we learned that yellow corn is animal food and white corn is human food, so the organization had to learn to be responsive to the context in which they were working.

In fact, that organization led to a change in Canadian policy in 2008. I won't go into the specifics, but that leads to my question.

You're working with 400 partner organizations delivering almost 700 projects. You mentioned in your opening testimony that you're conscious and aware of our societal norms and of going into, obviously, other contexts. What's the mechanism of interaction with your partner organizations so that is taken into account?

[Joshua Tabah]

Let me share that I have a great deal of respect for the CFGB as well, and I think that we all miss Jim Cornelius these days. What a great leader he was.

We have an extensive field footprint in the countries we work with and serve, so all the initiatives we work on bring together our local capacity and capability in these countries, as well as a team of outstanding professionals here at headquarters and also in our multilateral missions in New York and Geneva.

For an organization like The Global Fund, which is so large and works in almost every developing country—and we now have a commitment to provide $400 million a year—we work at multiple levels with an organization like that. At a global level, I sit on the board of governors of the organization to help shape both policy and programs, but, more importantly, we work with our field teams in each of the countries that The Global Fund serves to ensure that they have up-to-date information, not just on what The Global Fund is intending but also on ways they can be involved in the country's coordination mechanisms to ensure that the requests for funding that are coming back up to The Global Fund are informed by the perspectives that we have to share at a local level, and that involves—

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

I'm going to cut you off; I want to get one more quick question in.

Going back to the previous iteration of the federal Muskoka Initiative, was a fuller report done on that? Because of time, could you share the evaluation of that report with the committee?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Please respond in 30 seconds.

[Joshua Tabah]

We did have a closing evaluation of the Muskoka investments that we made; it's on our website. We'd be happy to share that report with the committee. It's a fantastic foundational document from which to learn more about these issues.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Thank you.

We now go to MP Bendayan.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for being here.

Since my time is limited, perhaps I'll ask all my questions at once and leave you the remainder of the time to respond.

You mentioned earlier in this meeting that Canada is assisting 4.5 million people in 29 different countries, if I heard you correctly. I would be interested in getting a list of those 29 countries tabled with the committee after this meeting. I hear you on the situation in Africa and in other developing countries, but the truth of the matter is that we've seen backsliding of women's reproductive rights around the world, including in many countries in the west. Of course, I am referring to the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in the United States, but also to some of the draconian laws restricting access to abortion in Poland, as well as attempts to restrict abortion rights in Italy.

I would like to hear you on what Canada can do in order to stem this trend, if you agree that it is a concerning trend. Also, what is Canada's role, if any, in allied countries such as Poland, given the state of their laws restricting access to abortion for women?

[Joshua Tabah]

We'd be very happy to share that list of countries. I'll note that we are now producing, on an annual basis, a report on our 10-year commitment that includes a very careful look at all the allocations from both the SRHR and global health pillars of the 10-year commitment. It also includes information on specific advocacy that we have carried out with other countries. It's something that I hope the committee will be interested in year over year, because I think that's where you'll see the progress we're really able to make with something like a 10-year time horizon.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Does that advocacy include the United States?

[Joshua Tabah]

I'm not in a position to comment on specific items, but I think that the Prime Minister and other ministers were outspoken the day after and the day of the decision for Roe v. Wade. The Prime Minister tweeted out his disappointment with the decision. I would characterize that as advocacy at the very highest levels.

You are right to point to backsliding by a number of countries. I do want to show, though, that there is light in the sense that many countries have moved to liberalize their laws and provide a more supportive and evidence-driven approach. That includes Benin, Argentina, Colombia, the DRC and Mexico, which have all been working to increase the scope of their abortion laws. We work with countries like those and other like-minded countries, both in multilateral forums and bilaterally, to ensure that countries understand Canada's positions and the evidence on which we base them.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Thank you. I'm afraid you're out of time, Ms. Bendayan.

We next go to Mr. Bergeron.

You have a minute and a half.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Very briefly, Mr. Tabah, I am going to let you continue with the answer that you started to give me earlier, which was very interesting.

I would perhaps add a brief question.

Of course, there is a need to provide abortion resources and post-abortion care, but would it not be equally important to invest in awareness and access to contraception to avoid getting into these kinds of situations?

Thank you.

[Joshua Tabah]

Thank you.

We fully agree. That is why we take a comprehensive and integrated approach.

Just to be very clear, it starts with comprehensive sexuality education so that adolescents have access to clear and evidence-based information about the services they can access.

Of course, we want to provide robust family planning and access to modern contraception so that the pregnancies that do occur are intended and wanted, and then, in the event that that's not the case, safe abortion support and postabortion support.

There is also a need to continue with the advocacy work and supporting that at country level, so that those services are provided in a way that makes sense for the adolescents and other groups they aim to serve. That's why it is important that Canada has taken a comprehensive approach. In most of the initiatives that we work on, you'll see a combination of these different elements intermingled, all part of an essential universal health coverage system that aims to provide primary health care for communities.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Thank you.

For our final minute and a half, we go to MP McPherson.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you again to our witnesses today. This has been very interesting testimony.

Mr. Tabah, I believe Canada is going to be presenting a voluntary national review at the high-level political forum on SDGs this summer. Is that correct?

[Joshua Tabah]

That's my understanding.