Mr. Speaker, in the year since the Prime Minister launched the Muskoka initiative at the G8, Canada has worked toward real results, saving the lives of mothers and children around the world.
The lives of countless women and their newborns depend on simple solutions: strengthening health systems, training midwives, fighting childhood diseases and improving nutrition.
Canada is a leader on the humanitarian stage and keeps its commitments when it makes a pledge. We recognize that we must entrench accountability in everything we do and deliver on our promises.
The World Health Organization and the World Bank estimate that by 2015 the G8 Muskoka initiative will prevent the deaths of 1.3 million children under the age of 5, and prevent the deaths of 64,000 mothers.
I stand to applaud the Prime Minister and the Minister of International Cooperation for leading the world and saving the lives of the most vulnerable mothers and newborn children.