Bev Oda

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 20th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), a gender-based analysis, GBA, was not conducted on the overall agenda prior to its announcement; however, gender based analyses are being conducted on components of the Agenda as they are developed.

In response to (b), gender equality is an integral part of the agency’s aid effectiveness agenda as a crosscutting theme, and as such, has been integrated into its operationalization.

In response to (c), yes. The 1999 Policy on Gender Equality guides CIDA’s gender-based analysis and promotes the integration of gender equality into all of CIDA’s policies, programs and projects.

As a part of its aid effectiveness agenda and in order to improve the focus of aid, the Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA, has selected three thematic priorities. Strategies for two out of three priorities have been developed and announced. A GBA was a key part of the development process for both strategies and as such, gender equality has been integrated throughout the strategy. The third strategy, which is currently in development, is also being informed by a GBA.

Internationally, Canada is an active member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, Development Assistance Committee, DAC, GenderNet working group on Gender Equality and Aid Effectiveness to promote the integration of gender equality into the international aid effectiveness framework.

Canada has been engaged in bilateral efforts with developing countries that integrate gender equality into new aid modalities and other frameworks that implement the international aid effectiveness framework, e.g., the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action. For example, Canada is chair or a member of a number of in-country donor working groups dedicated to gender equality and/or women’s issues.

The agency has also produced tools to help officers in the field to better integrate gender equality into aid effectiveness funding modalities, such as program-based approaches.

In response to (d), yes, the 1999 Gender Equality Policy indicates “Gender analysis is required for all CIDA policies and programs and projects. Application of gender analysis will vary according to the nature and scope of initiatives”.

In response to (e), 2006

The Minister of International Cooperation commits to increasing CIDA’s investments in specific programming for equality between women and men. The use of specific programming to target inequalities between women and men is a principle in CIDA’s 1999 Gender Equality Policy.

2007--CIDA’s 2007-2008 Report on Plans and Priorities identifies equality between women and men as one of two areas for enhanced Agency focus.

2007--CIDA makes equality between women and men the central theme in engaging the Canadian public through International Development Week. Engaging Canadians is a means to further advance the objectives of the 1999 Gender Equality Policy.

2008--Evaluation of CIDA’s Implementation of its 1999 Policy on Gender Equality and a management response to its recommendations are completed.

2008--The Minister for International Cooperation accepts to become a champion on behalf of the Government of Canada and as part of the Global Campaign for Millennium Development Goal 3,MDG, to promote gender equality and empower women, which was launched by the Government of Denmark as a means to increase attention and support to MDG 3.

2008--The agency introduces a new mandatory gender equality coding system that measures the level of gender equality integration in every CIDA investment. The coding system is a means to better track how well the agency is implementing its 1999 Gender Equality Policy.

2008--As chair of the Advisory Group on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness, CIDA hosts an international consultation with women’s groups in order to better integrate gender equality into the international aid effectiveness agenda. As a result, gender equality is explicitly mentioned in the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action, an internationally-agreed commitment to improve aid effectiveness.

2009--As a result of a gender-based analysis, gender equality is integrated into CIDA’s Food Security Strategy, with a focus on smallholder female farmers, and CIDA’s Children and Youth Strategy, with an emphasis on maternal health and girls.

2010--The Minister of International Cooperation announces support to the United Nations Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM, as a means to support the rights of women and girls, a key objective of CIDA’s Gender Equality Policy.

[Government Programs, June 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is not correct. In fact, this government is proud that we are ensuring that our international assistance is actually going toward helping those who are living in poverty. We will ensure that we get value for our international assistance dollars, which means more health for our aid dollars, more education for our aid dollars, more medicine for our aid dollars and more mothers and children whose lives will be saved because of Canada's G8.

[International Co-operation, June 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, as we have made clear, the ongoing practices of CIDA's ongoing programming will not change.

However, we are very proud that at our G8 we will be championing saving the lives of mothers and children and, in fact, as Melinda Gates said, “Canada is proposing a bold but achievable plan that can save countless lives”.

The international community is supporting us, as are our G8 colleagues, so we can save the lives of mothers and children.

[G8 Summit, June 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the member is quite right that the Gates Foundation has supported Canada's initiative to save the lives of mothers and children. In fact, Melinda Gates said, “Canada is proposing a bold but achievable plan that can save countless lives – and I hope all G8 members will lend their strong support”. That is exactly what is happening.

Secretary of State Clinton said, “We commend the Canadian government for focusing attention”.

The Prime Minister of the U.K. said, “We have agreed to tackling the scandal of—

[International Co-operation, June 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, this government, since its 2006 election, has met its commitments to the international world. We have retained our commitment to doubling our international assistance. We have met our commitment to doubling our aid to Africa. We have not only met but surpassed our commitment for food aid and food assistance.

We have a record on which we will stand, unlike the previous government, which had 13 years to fulfill commitments to those in poverty.

[International Co-operation, June 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, as we have clearly articulated, the Prime Minister and Canada at its G8 will be focusing on saving the lives of mothers and children. We have support for that initiative from many.

What did Melinda Gates say? She said that the number of dying is “atrocious” and she added:

The truth is, we can prevent most of these deaths -- and at a stunningly low cost -- if we take action now.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that 2010 is “a year when the world decided that no woman should die giving life and no children should die when we know how to save them”.

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that I just attended the Women Deliver Conference in Washington. At the conference, Melinda Gates said “we finally have the world’s attention” on maternal health issues. She said that it was not that the world did not know how to save the lives of mothers and newborns, it was we had not tried hard enough until now. She says that the world is changing because there is a government that is listening and acting, even when others were previously deaf and dormant. Canada is proposing a bold, achievable platform—

[International Aid, June 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we are in fact increasing our support to those organizations that work directly in those countries.

We support the Francophonie in the fine work they do in African-Francophone countries. We support the human rights of women and girls. Last week I announced support for UNIFEM, for human rights of women and girls.

We are in fact a leading country in many of the issues, but we can make a difference by supporting those organizations that actually do work in countries where the need is.

[International Aid, June 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, this government wants to ensure that public funds are going forward to help reduce poverty and help those people living in developing countries. There is no entitlement.

This government wants to ensure good value for its international assistance. We want results. We want to make a difference to those people, those families and those communities because it is our responsibility to ensure that.

[International Co-operation, June 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, as has been very clear, Canada wants to ensure that its G8 will save the lives of mothers and children. We know what interventions will be effective. In fact, these interventions have been endorsed by the University of Waterloo, John Hopkins University, the micronutrients Initiative. We know what the tools are.

In fact, it also been endorsed by the private sector and the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation. These are experts, these are people, these are organizations seeing real results in saving the lives of mothers and children.