Alexa McDonough moved, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the Committee’s on-going study of the government of Canada’s International Policy Statement, the committee call on the government of Canada, prior to the upcoming Gleneagles Summit in Scotland, to join the majority of G-8 and all fifteen European Union countries, by:
Accepting and acting upon the near-unanimous recommendations of Committee witnesses from 2003 to date, among them, Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Roy Culpeper, President, North-South Institute, Marie-Luisa Monreal, Director General of the Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale, James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank 1995-2005, Jeffrey Sachs, Director of Millenium Project and Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General on the UN Millennium Development Goals, Gerry Barr, Executive Director of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, and Robert Greenhill, newly-appointed President of CIDA, to honour the Millennium Development Goals and commit immediately to increase Canada’s aid budget by 12 to 15% annually to achieve aid level of 0.5% of Canada’s gross national product by 2010 and 0.7% of Canada’s GNP by 2015;
Improving our aid effectiveness by strengthening the partnership with civil society, both in Canada and overseas;
Introducing legislation before the end of the 2005 calendar year which establishes poverty reduction as the priority for Canada’s Official Development Assistance (ODA), as outlined in the historic February 17, 2005, letter from all Opposition Leaders to the Prime Minister, to ensure that aid is provided in a manner consistent with Canada’s human rights obligations and respectful of the perspectives of those living in poverty; and
Ensuring the increased funding is reflected in the 2006-2007 federal budget.
And that the Committee adopt this motion as its report to the House and that the Chair present the said report to the House.
Debate arose thereon.