Madam Speaker, a significant, concrete and factual step backward is the decrease in funding to Canada's international development envelope, which is being cut by $2.5 billion over three years.
That money is often used to fund human rights organizations in countries under authoritarian regimes. That is a fact.
The Prime Minister's current vision is to link international development and international trade, while ignoring anything related to international human rights. By cutting these budgets, he is cutting funding to people who are fighting for democracy.