Mr. Chair, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to discuss today the very serious situation that has developed in Mali.
I hope you will not mind if I share a personal experience. I have been to Mali several times, mainly to work with our Malian colleagues, the representatives of civil society, as part of the Forum on Human Security. Mali was part of the Forum, and Canada was an active member at the time. I met extraordinary people who were working very hard to build a better Mali, a Mali for all, a safe Mali. In light of recent events, I cannot help but think of them, their families and all Malians of course.
In recent days and weeks, there have been fairly positive developments. French forces and the forces of the African Union—mainly from Chad in recent days—are making progress. That is good news for two reasons: first, we can see the progress that is being made, and the African Union is helping. That is key.
When talking about the African Union's efforts, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs said a few minutes ago that it should be African-led. I am sorry. Maybe it is my misunderstanding of the English language, but I do not think that African-led means Africa alone. It can mean African-led but with our support. Therefore, I do not think that arguing African-led is reason enough to say that we would not support this effort through the various means available to us, as other countries have done. I am thinking of the U.S., which gave $96 million to AFISMA. The EU gave $67 million and Germany gave $20 million. The African Union itself gave $50 million to AFISMA, on top of the contribution from its member countries in time and money. Canada has given nothing.
Let us move away from the military side, especially as this is not only a military issue.
There are political, social, humanitarian and development issues associated with this situation. I will talk a little about the humanitarian aspect because that is the most urgent.
We are talking about 390,000 people who have been displaced within Mali and to neighbouring countries. We know that neighbouring countries are already in the middle of a terrible food crisis. We have to be there, we have to help these people and the organizations that are on the ground.
The government was pleased to announce a Canadian contribution of $13 million. That is a step in the right direction, and the projects funded by this contribution are beneficial, but we have to admit that it is not very much. By comparison, Japan has provided 10 times as much, or $120 million in humanitarian aid even though it is experiencing serious financial difficulties as a result of the tsunami. Unlike Canada, it does not have historic ties with Mali. Canada's contribution seems rather paltry by comparison.
The humanitarian situation is a short-term issue. We must help those in need and look ahead to the future. We need to look at the long term and ensure that this does not happen again, in Mali or in the other countries in the region. That requires development as well as social and political dialogue in Mali and the other countries in the region.
We must help these countries build democracies that create opportunities for everyone. And Canada can play a unique role in that. As I said, we have historic ties with Mali and a number of countries in the region, through our francophone population, our shared language and our expertise in democratic development in the traditional sense. But we are far removed from Africa. No matter what the members opposite say, we are far removed. Our presence is being felt less and less in the region, and this is a regional issue.
Cuts to CIDA have reached $377 million, and this is having a disproportionate impact on African countries. Embassies are closing. For example, we are pulling out of Niger, a potentially problematic country that borders Mali and that we should stand beside.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs is telling us that it is not a big deal because we have embassies in Dakar, Abidjan and so on. When I hear that, it makes me wonder if people think that Africa is the size of Portugal or Greece. But Africa is huge.
In Dakar, I was responsible for five countries. I am not afraid of hard work, but I had as much work as I could handle. I do not see how someone in Dakar or someone who is involved in the current situation on the Ivory Coast can also cover Niger and another country such as South Africa even, or Malawi and why not a few other Latin American countries while we are at it.
This lack of coverage prevents us from having people on the ground who are closely monitoring the situation. Clearly, the work people do on the ground does not produce quantifiable results. However, it gives us a presence. It allows us to show that we are partners, and it helps us to understand the situation. That is absolutely essential.
On one hand, we are moving away from Africa but on the other, we are unfortunately moving away from a sector in which we have exceptional expertise, for which we were known and which formed part of Canada's brand—if I can call it that—as a promoter of democracy.
I have heard my colleagues say that we will support a democratic Mali. However, it is not enough to support a democratic Mali or to say that we want Mali to be a democratic country and hope that it happens with the wave of a magic wand. We also have to lend a hand.
Great Britain is providing $3.1 million to support the political process. And what are we doing? We are waiting on the sidelines, waiting and watching and becoming more and more insignificant, a partner that does not count. This is preventing us from influencing events as we would like.
I would like to close with a plea for Canada to once again invest in democratic development. Why was the institute for democratic development that was promised by the Conservatives in the 2008 Speech from the Throne never set up? Why did they destroy organizations such as Rights and Democracy, which had a quarter of a century of expertise?
Instead of just saying we support Mali, Canada should really be there and really help the people of Mali.