Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of this Liberal government, we have seen nothing but consistent reckless spending. From arrive scam to the green slush fund of the last Parliament, Liberals just cannot seem to stop giving away taxpayer dollars to their friends and allies. We are six months post-election, and nothing has changed. With conflict of interest breaches circling the current Prime Minister, Canadians are in for another season of more Liberals getting rich off their wasted taxes.
I say all this as a preamble to the discussion at hand today on Motion No. 14, which is about Canada’s international development assistance. After I read the motion, I reflected. This is from our current Liberal government. Words like “accountability” and “effectiveness” seem distant from the actions of the current and previous Liberal administrations. Under Conservative governments, these were not merely words, but pillars in the Conservative approach to international development.
The Prime Minister is looking to “rein in spending”. As our Conservative leader has said, that is a goal worth co-operating on. Under the Liberal government, international development programming has been seen as overly generous, to the point of being wasteful. Programs have not been yielding results and have been ideologically leaning toward woke causes. There have also been reports of abuse and of development funding being misappropriated by terrorist groups or organizations sympathetic to terrorist causes.
The words and actions of this government are at odds. As Canadians struggle with high taxes, record food bank usage and an unaffordability crisis, the Secretary of State for International Development recently announced nearly $140 million in overseas funding. Motion No. 14 serves as a request for the oversight the Liberals neglected when they got into power 10 years ago.
Canada’s commitment to international assistance is rooted in decades of real-world impact. Conservative governments in particular have often pioneered focused, high-impact initiatives. By examining a few historical case studies, we can draw lessons on what works and what a Conservative-led development policy should champion.
One of the clearest examples of focused Canadian aid delivering results was Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s maternal, newborn and child health initiative, launched at the G8 Muskoka summit in 2010. In the face of high mortality rates among mothers and young children in developing countries, Canada rallied global partners to take decisive action. The Harper government committed a total of $2.85 billion over five years to improve maternal and child health, including $1.1 billion in new funding and $1.75 billion in renewed support, establishing this as a long-term Canadian priority.
This infusion of resources went to practical interventions like training health workers, funding immunizations and building clinics in some of the world’s poorest regions. Just as important as the money was an emphasis on outcomes. As Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced, “Accountability for results will be an integral part of Canada’s contribution”. He announced this with a rigorous framework to measure progress and ensure aid dollars are used effectively.
That accountability paid off. Alongside other donors, Canada’s push helped save countless lives by expanding vaccination programs and maternal care, contributing to a significant drop in the under-five mortality rate globally in the early 2010s. I have seen first-hand the benefits of freshwater well sites and maternal health clinics and the positive impact they have had in the communities in Tanzania. The people are grateful, and they want more of this type of support. Because of a Conservative initiative, their lives have been measurably improved permanently.
The Muskoka initiative demonstrated how a Conservative government’s focus on a clear priority, coupled with demand for results, could mobilize the world. Canada once led the way in mobilizing support among G8 and non-G8 leaders, key donors and private foundations to tackle this challenge. This legacy guides our vision. We will target aid to where it makes a measurable difference, in this case the health of mothers and children, while insisting on transparency and effectiveness in every dollar spent.
Another example of international development done right was in 2014, after Russia’s first incursion into Ukraine. When Ukraine’s sovereignty came under attack, Prime Minister Harper took swift action, condemning Russian aggression and backing words with aid.
In March 2014, Canada announced a package of over $220 million to help Ukraine stabilize its economy and support democratic development. This assistance, delivered as loans and grants, helped the new Ukrainian government pay its bills and implement reforms during a pivotal moment of transition. Canada also deployed hundreds of election observers and provided technical support to bolster Ukraine's fragile democracy. The message was clear: Canadians stand with those fighting for their freedom and self-determination.
Canada currently spends over $8 billion annually on foreign aid. At a time when so many Canadians are struggling to make ends meet, this number should be much lower. We should also be transitioning from government handouts to partnerships that benefit Canadian interests and bolster our economy. This is something the motion proposes, but we will have to wait and see if the government can follow through.
In the text of the motion, we read that the government will be, “establishing a dedicated Economic Partnerships Window to support projects that align poverty reduction abroad with economic security at home”. Unfortunately, as we have seen in the last 10 years, the Liberal government has a habit of creating more bureaucracy. Consider the newly announced Build Canada Homes, a new government body that plans to build 4,000 factory-built affordable homes at a price tag of $13 billion, or $3.25 million a house.
If the government is serious about producing results, it will ensure that the economic partnerships window is not another opportunity to balloon the government. The mission, expectations and outcomes for the economic partnerships window need to be crystal clear. It should also be funded from the current international development budget and not require the taxpayer to shoulder more debt. The required parliamentary report from the Minister of International Development is a welcome addition to this motion.
The Liberals put up frequent roadblocks and have maintained a general, pervasive mentality away from transparency that has made it difficult for the official opposition to hold the Liberal government accountable and give Canadians the information that they deserve. Name the scandal or issue, whether it is inflation, the economy, crime or food prices, the Liberals have shown no accountability for anything or remorse for the harm they have caused. If this motion is serious, it will usher a shift in Liberal policy, championing transparency over secrecy and issue avoidance.
Canada is a generous nation, but there is room to strengthen our leadership. The motion is in no way innovative; the actions highlighted within should never have been abandoned in the first place. When dealing with taxpayer funds, accountability should be the first consideration, not an afterthought. Global Affairs Canada has rightly earned the reputation for being one of the highest wastefully spending departments. Motion No. 14 could be a signal to the end of that.
There is a right and wrong way of stewarding the public purse. Conservatives have a strong record of doing it the right way; the Liberals, not so much. Given the history of Liberal waste, I cautiously give my support for this motion. The economic partnerships window should not cost the taxpayer more. If accountability is the new way forward, the international development budget should cover this initiative.
Let us see if this becomes a model for other departments to follow or if this will be another scandal that Conservatives will need to unearth down the line. For now, we are going to give co-operation a chance, and I look forward to working with the member on his motion going forward.