It is very difficult to speak after Ms. Ressa or Ms. Palabay. They are both true heroines, in my view.
Ms. Palabay raised a very important issue about Canadian financial assistance. We have made an access to information request to Global Affairs Canada about the traceability of money sent to the Philippines, including any use to fund anti-terrorism measures. From 2018 to 2019, just under $40 million in total was sent in aid, and $2.4 million was still earmarked for anti-terrorism in the bilateral aid.
When we go on human rights missions to the Philippines and see heroines like Ms. Palabay and Ms. Ressa, we see that the money is often used against them. We want to make sure that the money can really be traced so that it is invested exactly as it is stated on page 11 of the guidelines, which is to support the people who are defending human rights and who are the first to be vilified, murdered, raped or illegally arrested. That's where we should be putting our money, not in military aid or in training the police and the military. These are the people we need to help. It is very important.
There is a beautiful expression in English: walk the walk, talk the talk. It is time for the guidelines to be turned into concrete procedures, processes, and programs, as they are in some countries, including Holland. Taxpayers' money must be used to promote sustainable peace in the Philippines. This is very important. After all, the Philippines has been going through an armed revolt for 53 years, and millions of dollars invested in all the anti-terrorism and counter-insurgency measures have been useless.