Madam Chair, I thank members for the kind comments about the foreign affairs committee. I think we have done some good work. I also want to recognize the chair, the member for Kenora, who has done an exemplary job chairing the committee.
I am going to ask questions and get responses in my 15 minutes.
My first question is for the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie.
Earlier this year, The Globe and Mail had an article written by Robert Greenhill, entitled “Canada is not back when it comes to global aid— [as a matter of fact] it's far back.
He stated:
...the first Liberal budget actually had lower support for development (26 cents per $100 of national income) than the average of the Harper government (30 cents). On this track, the [Liberal] government will end up with the worst commitment to development of any Canadian government in the last half-century....
Considering the statistical facts, does the minister still think Canada is back when it comes to international development?