Questions and responses 42nd Parliament, 1st session December 3, 2015, to September 11, 2019

With regard to government expenditures on foreign aid since January 1, 2016: what are the details of all expenditures, including for each the (i) recipient, (ii) country, (iii) amount, (iv) date of contribution, (v) purpose of expenditure or project description?

With regard to the government’s commitment to provide $54 million in relief funding to Haiti: (a) what is the specific breakdown of how the funding will be provided, including a breakdown by (i) fiscal year, (ii) specific organization or group which will receive the funding; (b) for each group listed under (a)(ii), what is the funding to be used for; and (c) what specific measures does the government have in place to ensure that the funding is utilized properly and as intended?

With regard to international development funding, since April 1, 2017: what are the details of all funding provided to civil society organizations, including the (i) name of the organization, (ii) amount received, (iii) amount requested, (iv) purpose of the funding and the description of related projects, (v) date of the funding announcement, (vi) start and end dates of the project receiving funding?

With regard to international development funding, since May 29, 2018: what are the details of all funding provided to civil society organizations, including the (i) name of the organization, (ii) amount received, (iii) amount requested, (iv) purpose of the funding and the description of related projects, (v) date of the funding announcement, (vi) start and end dates of the project receiving funding?

With regard to Canada’s Official Development Assistance (ODA): (a) what is the total ODA to gross national income (GNI) ratio arising from the 2019 budget; (b) what were Canada’s total ODA to GNI ratios for each of the last ten fiscal years; (c) what is the government’s position on delivering Canada’s outstanding commitment to deliver on the United Nations' target of 0.7% ODA to GNI; and (d) if the government is committed to delivering the 0.7% of GNI, what is the government’s timeline for delivering this commitment?

With regard to the $2.65 billion in government funding announced on November 27, 2015, in Valetta, Malta, to help combat climate change in developing countries: (a) what is the itemized list of projects funded by this fund, including (i) title of project, (ii) recipient organization or name, (iii) recipient country, (iv) amount contributed; and (b) what is the number of jobs that have been created outside of Canada with this money that are (i) full-time, (ii) part-time?

With regard to payments made by the government during the 2016 calendar year: (a) how much money was given to the (i) Education Quality Improvement Project in Afghanistan, (ii) Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, (iii) World Bank; and (b) under which specific allotment in the Main Estimates for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development did the funding for each of the payments in (a) originate?

With regard to Canada’s foreign aid: what is the total amount of Canadian funding granted to Marie Stopes International, broken down by (i) year, from 2015 to present, (ii) recipient country, (iii) where applicable, the program that the funding was part of?

With regard to costs related to the Development Finance Institute Canada (DFIC) Inc.: (a) what are the estimated start-up costs for the DFIC, broken down by type; and (b) what are the yearly projected operating costs, for each of the next five years starting in 2018-19?

With regard to foreign aid provided to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) intended for work or assistance in Sri Lanka, since January 1, 2016: (a) which NGOs received funding; (b) how much did each NGO receive; (c) what were the dates on which each payment in (b) was received; (d) what is the purpose or projects associated with each payment, including a brief description of that project; (e) what specific accountability measures are in place to ensure that the funding for each NGO is used properly; (f) did each project meet the accountability requirements; and (g) for any projects which did not meet the accountability requirements, what was the consequence of not meeting such requirements?

With regard to the consultations led by the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie on renewing Canada’s international assistance: (a) what is the total of expenses incurred for the consultations, including the breakdown by (i) cost of airfare, (ii) cost of food and beverages, (iii) cost of accommodations, (iv) cost of travel expenses, (v) cost of photos, (vi) details of each contract or expenditure, (vii) supplier, (viii) amount, (ix) contract details and length, (x) date, (xi) number of photos or images purchased, (xii) where the photos or images were used (internet, bulletin boards, etc.), (xiii) advertising campaign description, (xiv) contract file number; (b) what is the total of exempt political staff expenditures, broken down by (i) cost of airfare, (ii) cost of food and beverages, (iii) cost of accommodations; (c) what is the total number of consultations, broken down by (i) number of individuals, (ii) number of organizations, (iii) number of countries; (d) who was on the delegation, other than reporters and security personnel; (e) what was the title of each member of the delegation; (f) what were the contents of the Minister’s itinerary; (g) what are the details of each meeting attended by the Minister during this trip, including (i) date, (ii) summary or description, (iii) attendees, including the organizations and the list of their representatives, (iv) topics discussed, (v) location; and (h) what are the details of all agreements signed during this trip?

With regard to the government’s Feminist International Assistance Policy: (a) has the government developed specific qualitative criteria to grade the level of success or lack thereof for the six defined action areas; and (b) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, (i) when were the criteria established, (ii) what are the criteria?

With regard to the Prime Minister’s tweet on December 2, 2018, pledging $50 million to Education Cannot Wait: was this funding approved by the Treasury Board before or after the Prime Minister posted the tweet?

With regard to negotiations over modalities for the accounting of climate finance at the Bangkok conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from September 4 to 9, 2018, what is the government’s position on: (a) whether, as per Article 9.7 of the Paris Agreement, following the guidelines for reporting climate finance issued to developing country Parties ought to be mandatory of voluntary; (b) whether, as per Article 4(f) of the Bangkok draft negotiation, climate finance ought to be itemized for ‘loss and damage,’ in addition to ‘adaptation,’ ‘mitigation,’ and ‘cross-cutting’; (c) which, if any, of the following elements should be accounted as climate finance given to developing country Parties, as per Article 4(g) of the draft negotiation (i) a non-concessional loan, (ii) an equity, (iii) a guarantee, (iv) insurance; (d) whether, as per Article 4(h) of the draft negotiation, climate finance reporting should include information about the face value and grant equivalent value of the grant element issued to developing country Parties; (e) whether, as per Article 4(m) of the draft negotiation, climate finance should be reported as a net value that deducts for repayment and interests on loans and returns on investments; (f) whether, as per Article 4(t) of the draft negotiation, climate finance reports should comment on how the support is “new and additional”; (g) if the answer to (f) is in the affirmative, what methodology would the government use to distinguish climate finance as an addition to existing international development assistance; (h) whether, as per Article 4(u) of the draft negotiation, climate finance reports should show how support is targeted at the developing country Party’s NDCs or NAPs; (i) whether and what forms of private sector contributions to Canada’s climate finance should be reported under Article 9 of the Paris Agreement, if at all, and whether such reporting would reflect the full face value of the loan and investment guarantees; (j) whether and by what means support for fossil fuel energy ought to be distinguished in a Party’s climate finance reports; (k) whether climate finance should be reported under Article 9 of the Paris Agreement on a project-to-project basis and whether such reporting should include blended finance involving the private sector; (l) what should be done with the information collected under Article 9.5 of the Paris Agreement relating to expected future climate finance; (m) what steps should be taken and what considerations made in setting a new climate finance goal for 2025; and (n) how much will Canada commit to the Green Climate Fund when the fund is replenished?

With regard to Canada’s commitment in the Feminist International Assistance Policy to join global partnerships that promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for women and girls: (a) what steps is the government taking to ensure support for this work is sustained and scaled up beyond 2020; (b) does the government intend to commit to the Future Planning Initiative’s call for $1.4 billion per year for ten years for SRHR initiatives, including $500 million per year for the neglected areas of SRHR; and (c) will this funding be in addition to the official development assistance promised in the 2018 and 2019 budgets?

With regard to Canada’s commitment to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Feminist International Development Policy: (a) what portion of Canada’s official development assistance in 2019-20 will be committed to water, sanitation and hygiene as a foundation for women’s health; (b) does Canada intend to increase its investment in the global water, sanitation and hygiene sector; (c) will Canada join the 72 other countries working together to stimulate political dialogue and leadership through the Sanitation and Water for All partnership; and (d) is the Feminist International Assistance Policy now being applied to projects for global water, sanitation, and hygiene, and, if so, will there be additional funding to serve the priority needs of women and girls, and for consultation with women and girls on their needs?

With regard to Global Affairs Canada's International Development Program: (a) what is the total amount of international humanitarian aid allocated to (i) the West Bank, (ii) the Gaza Strip; (b) who is in charge of managing Canada's contributions once inside these territories; (c) how does Global Affairs Canada ensure the aid gets to the civilians who need it; and (d) does Global Affairs Canada follow up with these parties to inquire on how these funds were spent?

With regard to the Global Fund’s sixth replenishment to step up the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria: (a) is the government committing $1 billion to the Global Fund’s sixth replenishment for 2020-2022; and (b) will this funding be in addition to the total official development assistance promised in the 2018 and 2019 budgets?

With regard to the Global Affairs Canada's international development program and in light of statements made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in March, 2016: (a) has the Department reached a decision regarding the resumption of humanitarian aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), and if so, what is the sum UNRWA should expect to receive; and (b) will the Department have a protocol in place to follow up with the relevant UNRWA representatives to ensure the funds are not mismanaged?