Thank you very much for the question. I am surprised that you are not clear in your understanding of what we've laid out as our G8 initiative.
We have said that our initiative is about saving the lives of mothers and children. We have identified that MDGs 4 and 5 are not progressing as quickly as possible to meet the goals of 2015. I find it shocking that, in the past, the health of mothers and reducing their mortality have been supported least of all, particularly by Canada. Canada has done some very good work, but when you look worldwide, this area is something that has not received the kind of support that it should have.
I want to make one correction. I did not say there would be no additional funding. What I said and what was also agreed to by all of the G8 ministers, by the UN family, and by the Secretary-General of the UN, was that we do not need new mechanisms, new funds, or new structures. What we have to do is make sure that we surge our support behind maternal and child health, so that we will progress faster towards reaching the goal in 2015. We did not say that there is no additional funding.
What this government will not do, and which has been done by previous governments, is to announce a fancy name for a fund while having no intention to fulfill pledges. We're saying—and we've been told this by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and all the agencies involved—that there is a multiplicity of funds and mechanisms that are all very good and all very effective. We don't need a new mechanism.
We have mechanisms that are effective. What we have to do is increase our support for them. Canada will be increasing its support and will be doing its part as part of the G8 initiative.