Mr. Chair, I thank the House for the opportunity to discuss our support for the people of Mali during this troubled period in their country's history.
Before I tell the House about Canada's response to help those affected by the crisis in Mali and the wider Sahel region, I want to explain why Canada's development and humanitarian work is important to Canadians.
Canada is a compassionate neighbour. When there is a need, Canada responds. We are ready to lend a hand to help those in need. Freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law are Canadian values. These values drive our government's engagement in the international community. These values are the keys to help struggling nations reach their full potential.
When a drought leads to famine and widespread human suffering, we respond, as we did in the Horn of Africa in 2011 and the Sahel region of Africa last year. When a conflict and instability scatter communities and endanger lives, we respond, as we are doing in Mali right now. We do this by delivering lifesaving assistance in the quickest, most efficient way possible, providing food, shelter and medical support to the most vulnerable.
In 2010-2011 alone, the Canadian International Development Agency responded to 40 natural disasters in the developing world and answered 68 calls for help in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East.
When we help countries stabilize and secure their societies, we help prevent violence and criminal activity from spilling over Canadian shores. When we help countries practice good governance, we advance freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Mali is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. It ranked 175th out of 187 countries in terms of human development in 2011. In practical terms, that means just over half of the population lives on less than $1.25 a day. Mali's infant and maternal mortality, disease and malnutrition rates are significant. Nearly three-quarters of the country's citizens can neither read nor write.
Despite such challenges, prior to the coup Mali was a positive example of democracy in the region for more than 20 years. It had a vision for how to reduce poverty and develop the country. Up until the coup it was putting that plan into action.
In recognition of these efforts, CIDA selected Mali as a country of focus in 2009. Over the years CIDA's projects in Mali, aimed at reducing poverty, improving the health of women and children and increasing access to education, have all achieved considerable success.
In 2010, CIDA helped to provide primary students with more than 1.2 million new textbooks. The textbook industry in Mali, which our assistance helped to establish, saved the ministry of education about $850,000 by repairing and extending the lifetime of textbooks.
Between 2007 and 2010, Canada's contributions to saving the lives of women and children in Mali helped to increase the rate of assisted childbirths by 2%. Two percentage points may not sound like much, but to all of those mothers who survived a difficult labour and gave birth to a healthy baby, those two percentage points were the difference between life and death.
During this same period 92% of children under the age of one were vaccinated for five childhood diseases.
This is why it is so troubling to witness the deterioration of security and stability in Mali. It is the consequence of terrorist networks seeking ripe opportunities to exploit the most vulnerable.
The establishment of a safe haven for terrorist groups in this region is a threat to the broader international community. As the Prime Minister noted on January 8, “The development of essentially an entire terrorist region in the middle of Africa is of great concern to everybody in the international community”.
As members know, Canada suspended its government-to-government assistance to Mali after the coup. However, to be clear, Canada is still very much engaged in helping the people of Mali during this uncertain time. CIDA continues to help those in need through NGOs and multilateral organizations by supporting education, health care and working with farmers to reduce food insecurity.
Where security permits and access has been possible, we have continued to deliver humanitarian assistance through our international partners, who are all working hard to meet the most pressing needs of Mali's most vulnerable people, particularly women and children. We call on all parties to provide full access so that humanitarian needs and the safety and protection of humanitarian workers can be addressed.
Humanitarian agencies report that an estimated two million Malians are food insecure or are at risk of food insecurity. More than 385,000 people have been displaced by this conflict, including more than 236,000 within Mali itself, and another 153,000 who have sought refuge in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania. Our partners on the ground tell us that refugees have arrived in these neighbouring countries exhausted, hungry and in need of basic services such as shelter, medical care, food and water.
Through Canada's support, emergency food and nutrition assistance have been provided to an estimated 1.3 million people throughout Mali, as well as refugees in neighbouring areas. Our assistance is also helping 3,000 vulnerable households access food and other basic necessities through cash transfer and cash-for-work initiatives. Our assistance has helped more than 39,000 Malian children gain treatment for severe acute malnutrition.
Canada is also providing support to ensure that Malian refugees receive essential items such as blankets, kitchen sets, shelter and sanitary supplies. Our support has allowed the international Red Cross movement to distribute essential household items and hygiene kits as well as food to an estimated 600,000 people affected by the conflict. This assistance is on top of the Government of Canada's matching funding for the Sahel crisis.
This matching funding addressed the overall food and nutrition problems in the Sahel region, and the people of Mali receive lifesaving assistance as part of the initiative. Between August 7 and September 30, individual Canadians donated more than $6.9 million to help people in the Sahel. Our government complemented this generosity dollar for dollar.
Last week, at the donors pledging conference in Ethiopia, the Minister of International Cooperation announced that Canada is providing an additional $13 million for a number of initiatives aimed at addressing pressing humanitarian needs. We are closely monitoring the situation and responding to the needs of vulnerable Malians as they arise, particularly for women and children.
Development assistance delivered through multilateral organizations and non-governmental organizations is helping to ensure that critical services continue to be available in southern Mali. This type of support is critical to avoiding social unrest in the south and to stabilizing the country. A stable south means more efforts can be concentrated on the security situation in the north.
While the conflict persists, our government will work hard to protect Mali's hard-won development gains, while doing everything we can to meet the country's immediate humanitarian needs and contribute to maintaining social stability in the south.
Our response reflects Canadian values. These values guide our very way of life and have earned us our exemplary global reputation for freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Canada will continue to do right for those in need.
