Mr. Chair, I will be sharing my time with the member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour and the member for Toronto Centre.
In 2000-01, 36% of CIDA's aid budget was allocated through civil society organizations. However, in 2005-06, spending through these same organizations dropped to 17% of the agency's budget.
Since civil society organizations play an essential role in development initiatives, how will the minister guarantee that these partnerships will not become even weaker?