Status of Women Committee on May 10th, 2010

[Lorraine Fontaine]

Canada is all of us; we can all speak out. We can still have credibility. I think we have a responsibility. I think Bridget called out very passionately to it. As citizens groups and as other organizations...and as members of Parliament, you can speak out, and you are doing so. I think we need to remember all the voices of women--all the voices of women--and that reproductive health is all our lives. I said earlier that I think women's bodies are an occupied territory, but I think, unfortunately, it's the case from our childhood all the way until menopause and on. It's a territory for testing and all kinds of things.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

What I am hearing is a call for action.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Cathy McLeod]

It will now be Mr. Calandra for three minutes.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Sorry, they will be quick questions because I only have three minutes,

Mr. La Ramée, are you entitled to funding forever, at the exclusion of everyone else?

[Pierre La Ramée]

No, of course not. We are not entitled to funding forever.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Is there any problem with your funding being reviewed from time to time, in fact every year?

[Pierre La Ramée]

Our funding has to be reviewed every time it is renewed.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Thank you.

Ms. Mathyssen referenced clinics earlier. Are those clinics not currently funded by CIDA? Can anybody mention anything on that?

Ms. Lynch, are those clinics that Ms. Mathyssen referred to earlier funded by CIDA currently?

[Bridget Lynch]

We weren't referring to any particular clinic.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

She mentioned that funding would be removed as part of this new strategy.

[Bridget Lynch]

To NGOs.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Is it not currently funded by CIDA, though? Can anybody answer that?

[Jolanta Scott-Parker]

I would just echo what Bridget said. I think she is talking generally about clinics that might be providing sexual and reproductive health services--

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Are they currently funded by CIDA?

[Jolanta Scott-Parker]

Some may be, yes, which would potentially put them in a different position--

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

We've mentioned that CIDA hasn't changed how it is funding. The G8 initiative is much different, so it stands to reason that any clinics that are being funded right now, because our foreign policy has not changed, are still going to be funded post the G8 initiative.

Let me ask you this, Ms. Lynch. With respect to midwives, is Canada better than everybody else in the G8? Are we equal to everybody else in the G8? Are our midwives better trained? Do we have better rules?

[Bridget Lynch]

Our midwives within the G8 probably have, consistently, one of the highest levels of education, regulation, and provision of services.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

As part of the G8 initiative, should we then hold back funding or should we insist that our G8 partners reach our levels before we actually help women and children in other countries, or can we somehow look at best practices in the G8 and ask that perhaps, potentially, when it comes to midwifery, Canada, being a recognized leader, should take the leadership role on this initiative with respect to the G8?

Would that be a safe assessment, yes or no?

[Bridget Lynch]

I don't give a yes or no to a question like that, thank you.

What I would have to answer is that various G8 nations might have various levels of expertise that they can actually contribute to addressing this entire issue.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

So they should be focusing also on their expertise. So a wholesale approach using best practices is another way that we can actually achieve this millennium development goal, predominantly for Africa and South Asia, basically for women and children. Is that right?

[Bridget Lynch]

Yes, but not by withholding service. It's by contributing service.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

But we can all do it with respect to best practices, right?

[Bridget Lynch]

Yes, and there could be choices around the best practices.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

What we have, then, if I can summarize, is the ability for the G8 nations to look over and above what their current foreign aid practices are. Canada is committed to its current foreign aid practice of funding. We have the G8 initiative looking at--

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Cathy McLeod]

Sorry, I'm going to have to cut you off, Mr. Calandra. Your three minutes have expired.

Madame Deschamps.