Thank you, Madam Chair.
Let me begin by saying thank you for coming today, Ministers. We appreciate your being here, but I must confess that I don't know where to begin. I've just read the motion passed by the committee inviting you here; it was to ask you to present a plan on maternal and child health strategy that you intend to present at the G8, and we certainly did not get that.
I'm going to speak quickly because I have some comments to make, but I really would like your responses. We know that there were briefing notes prepared for CIDA in January that were disregarded by the minister. We know that three months after the briefing it was confirmed that Canada's contribution to the G8 on maternal health and child health would not include funding for safe abortion.
My question is, what happened during this time? Did anyone at the cabinet stand up for women's rights and women's health? There seems to be a paucity of advocating for women's health.
Minister Oda, did you make the decision not to fund abortion? If you did not, who made that decision?
On my other question, the G8 is Canada's signature initiative. As you reference yourself in the brief, there will be no additional funding given to that. Can you tell us how this plan will happen with no additional funding and where the funding will come from if there won't be any additional funding?
For my other comment, I note that you referenced the African Union. I was at a breakfast yesterday sponsored by the nurses where the African Union made the point quite specifically that what they need in Africa is a full range of reproductive health, including access to abortion when and where it is legal.
I'm sorry to throw all of this at you, but my time is limited, and I'm astounded by the lack of response to the motion as it was originally passed.