Rona Ambrose

[Child and Maternal Health, May 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, what the member does know is that the leadership of the Prime Minister is evident. He has invited the G8 leaders from around the world to come here to deal with a pressing issue, which the developing world has been asking to be dealt with for years, and that is the issue of child and maternal health.

We have a huge opportunity this June at the G8 to make a difference in the lives of women and children. This initiative will save millions of children under the age of five. Obviously, when the G8 leaders get together we will see those plans. In the meantime, however, I am sure we have the member's support.

[Government Programs, May 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows that our government has increased the funding for women's groups to the highest level ever in the history of this country. However, we are also listening to the presidents and CEOs of World Vision, UNICEF, Results Canada, CARE Canada, Plan Canada and Save the Children. They have all told us:

It's time to focus on the hope and opportunity that this G8 Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health presents and end the suffering of millions of families around the world.

In fact, Sharon Marshall from World Vision Canada said that World Vision was outraged that this debate was being raised.

[Government Programs, May 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's comments but we are listening to what World Vision is telling us on maternal health. It is telling us that 24,000 children under the age of five will die today in the developing world.

Our government has a responsibility to act. We have made a decision to bring our G8 partners to the table to address this issue with the goal of saving the lives of millions of women and children. Development leaders are supporting this. They are telling us that every year, nine million women around the world watch as their children die from painful, preventable illnesses that cost dimes, not dollars, to treat.

We have a responsibility to act and I ask the member to support us.

[Status of Women, May 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, our government wants to focus on issues that unite us, not divide us, issues that we can all get behind, issues like violence against women. I do not know if the member knows this, but women are 10 times more likely to suffer from a sexual assault than men are. That is why we are focused on ending violence against women, and time after time we are introducing new laws to protect women and children from violent rapists and offenders.

We are trying to introduce laws to make sure that we protect children from sexual predators and that we protect women from sexual slavery. That is the kind of initiative all of us can support, and we ask members to support us on it.

[Status of Women, May 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, according to World Vision, 24,000 children under the age of 5 die every day in the developing world. Experts tell us that every year, 9 million women around the world watch their children die in pain from preventable diseases that often cost just a few cents, not dollars, to treat.

We have a responsibility to take action to protect and save these children's lives. It is the right thing to do and we encourage the opposition to support this commendable initiative.

[Status of Women, May 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to women's groups in particular, we have raised the funding to the highest levels ever in the history of this country.

We are very proud to be funding organizations like le Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador that will help women improve their economic prosperity.

We are helping the Latin American women's organization that will help high-risk, marginalized 12 to 15-year-old girls of Latin American descent who are facing violence in their lives.

These are the kinds of projects we are proud to fund. I would ask the opposition to stop pitting women's groups against each other and work with us.

[Status of Women, May 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, our government has increased funding for women to its highest level ever. We support projects across Canada, including in Quebec. Those projects include the Centre social d'aide aux immigrants in Montreal. I am also proud to say that we support the Réseau des femmes des Laurentides in Saint-Jérôme. We should focus on improving the lives of women rather than pitting women's groups against one another.

[Maternal and Child Health, May 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, whom we are listening to when it comes to the issue of saving the lives of women and children in the developing world is World Vision. It is telling us that every day, 24,000 children under the age of five will die and we can make a difference. We have a responsibility to act. We ask the opposition to stop playing politics with this issue.

Leading presidents and CEOs of all development agencies around the world have said to us, “It is time to focus on the hope and opportunity that the G8 Initiative on maternal, newborn and child health presents and end the suffering of millions” of women and children.

[Maternal and Child Health, May 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I will just remind the opposition again that every day as we sit here, 24,000 children under the age of five die in the developing world. We are bringing the world together in June in Muskoka to talk about how we can save the lives of women and children.

Let me tell the House what Sharon Marshall, the head of World Vision Canada, said. She said:

World Vision is outraged that... [this] debate is being raised in order to distract from the real issue on the table ... 8.8 million children dying every year from causes that we could easily prevent with interventions that cost pennies.

We have a responsibility—

[Maternal and Child Health, May 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, let me share with the hon. member what World Vision tells us. World Vision tells us that 24,000 children under the age of 5 will die today and every day in the developing world.

In June our government will have the opportunity to do something historic. We are bringing the world together on an initiative to save the lives of women and children. In fact, the president and CEOs of World Vision, UNICEF, Results Canada and CARE Canada have said, “It is time to focus on the hope and opportunity that this G8 initiative on maternal, newborn and child health presents”.