Susan Whelan

[Terrorism, February 4th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, if my hon. colleague across the way has any evidence, I would like him to put it in front of me. I can tell the House that we do not fund terrorist organizations and that we channel our assistance through reputable organizations like the Red Cross and the United Nations.

I have asked my department to ensure that our money is going to reputable organizations and that we are not doing something indirectly that we should not be doing directly.

Very clearly, I had a meeting with the departmental official months ago on this issue and we are very actively working to ensure that our money is reaching those in need, the poor people of this world, for sustainable development to reduce poverty.

[Terrorism, February 4th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as I said last week in the House, Canadians can expect that my department is being prudent in selecting our partners in the developing world. We work closely with the other departments and agencies and with foreign affairs and international trade. We verify that our partners are not on the lists of the United Nations or Canada of suspected terrorists.

I can assure the House that I have revisited with my department our different partners. We will continue to do that. We are very vigilant. We recognize the importance of Canadian dollars being distributed to the people who need it on the ground.

[Terrorism, January 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we are very prudent when we are selecting our partners in development. We are working very closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Solicitor General. We verify that our partners are not on the United Nations' list or Canada's list of suspected terrorists or terrorists. We are doing our utmost to be prudent.

[Foreign Aid, January 29th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, during my recent trip to Ethiopia I witnessed the effects of drought firsthand and had a chance to speak with some of the local people who are benefiting from Canada directly.

On January 16 the Government of Canada announced an additional $40 million in emergency assistance. Assistance will be delivered in partnership with the World Food Program, the Canada Food Grains Bank and other NGOs which will bring our total contribution to $47 million since September.

Canadians are providing a leadership role in dealing with the drought and the famine in Ethiopia. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely.

[National Defence, December 4th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, we are not providing any direct support to the Afghan armed forces. In fact we are providing support for peace and security in Afghanistan of which $4 million has been transferred through the UNDP to support disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants; $3.8 million has been transferred to the UN law and order trust fund to support Afghan police reform; and $3.5 million has been committed to the United Nations to support the Afghan government's reform of the judicial system.

We are clearly not supporting and not funding the Afghan armed forces directly.

[Hiv-Aids, November 28th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, in addition to the $50 million announced by our Prime Minister for the international AIDS vaccine initiative, and in addition to the $150 million committed by the government for the global health fund to fight HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, today I was able to announce an additional $19 million toward six initiatives in developing countries around the world, which includes a $2 million increase to the core fund for UN AIDS.

It is unfortunate that the other side does not want to be quiet to hear how we are working to fight this terrible disease. We are committed to putting more resources toward HIV and AIDS.

[Question No. 13, November 18th, 2002]

Total ODA Disbursements for Sub-Saharan African Countries from 1993/94 to 2000/01* ($ Millions)

• Total disbursements include: Government to Government, Canadian Partnership Program, Multilateral Assistance (Imputed Costs), Commonwealth Scholarships, Food Aid, Humanitarian Assistance, IDRC and ICHRDD.

Source: Table M of the Statistical Report on ODA (excluded from the Africa country list are Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Algeria)

October 11, 2002

[Africa, November 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is deeply concerned about the crisis facing several of the south African countries. On Monday I had the opportunity to meet with Jim Morris, who is the executive director of the World Food Program, inform him of our continued commitment to address this crisis and announce that Canada would be contributing an additional $7.9 million immediately, raising our total from $34.2 million to $42.1 million, to deal with the famine in southern Africa.

The government is very concerned and is committed to dealing with humanitarian crises. I want to thank the hon. member for raising this issue so that all members can be aware of the situation.

[International Aid, October 24th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the members of the Sun Parlour Food Grains Bank, the Leamington Mennonite churches and the local farmers all deserve our thanks for helping to provide food aid for those less fortunate in the developing world. I would also like to thank the Essex Food Grains growing project for their harvest last week of 811 bushels of soy beans.

The Canada Food Grains Bank and their community partners all across Canada accomplish important work. For every dollar that they raise, the Canadian government and CIDA matches $4.

I congratulate the member for Chatham--Kent Essex for making the chamber aware of this very important contribution of our community partners.

[International Aid, October 7th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, two years ago Canada led the world by investing in the global drug facility and helped reduce the cost for tuberculosis drugs from $15 per person to $10 per person, U.S.

Yesterday at the World Conference on Lung Health in Montreal, I was pleased to accept the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease award in recognition of Canada's leadership in the fight against tuberculosis.

Further, I committed Canada to continue the fight yesterday by announcing $80 million over four years to the stop tuberculosis partnership. Canada is committed to breaking the cycle of tuberculosis and poverty.