May 16, 2014 – Montreal, Quebec
Check against delivery
Good morning,
And thank you for inviting me.
I am going to take this opportunity to talk to you about the lead role that Canada is currently playing in international development.
Knowing your mission to promote greater knowledge of international affairs and to encourage closer cooperation in this area, this is the perfect forum for this speech.
Ever since we formed the government, we have taken steps to ensure that Canada is in the forefront of international development.
The most recent decision in this regard was to merge CIDA with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
We are now beginning to reap the benefits of this merger.
This success is increasingly recognized worldwide, as attested by my appointment as chair of an international committee on private investment in development.
This success story should be better known in Quebec.
I would like our policy to receive the credit it deserves.
But there has been a lack of information that unfairly leaves the invaluable contributions of many Quebec-based partners hidden in the shadows.
Quite frankly, this creates a climate of hostility that does not serve anyone’s interests.
So I would like to thank you for giving me an opportunity today to set the record straight.
I hope this will lead to constructive cooperation with our Quebec-based organizations, which would be beneficial to everyone.
My friends, the merger of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade with CIDA is, in my opinion, one of the best examples of the importance our government attaches to international development.
At first, this merger generated a number of fears, especially about the role of development within the new department.
As far as we are concerned, we have remained unfailingly committed to development since the start of the process.
First of all, within the Department, development now ranks equally with trade and diplomacy.
In addition to maintaining a separate Minister, our government has enshrined in law, for the first time, the Minister’s roles and responsibilities for development and humanitarian assistance.
Above all, one does not go ahead with such major changes without deeply believing that they are necessary and will produce results.
Foreign policy, development and trade objectives are increasingly interrelated.
This is becoming more and more apparent at the global level.
There are also more opportunities to build on each of these components.
The merger allows us to harness the full potential of these opportunities.
By harmonizing our foreign affairs, development and trade policies and programs, we envision achieving greater strategic coherence.
We believe that this coherence will lend greater weight to our efforts at all levels.
The merger also allows us to maximize the effectiveness of available resources for development and humanitarian assistance.
As Minister for La Francophonie, I can now attest to the benefits of the merger in this specific area.
With its partners, for example, Canada is currently leading an effort to ensure that La Francophonie adopts an economic strategy.
The reorganization of the Department allows Canada to push for a strategy that will consider the different levels of development of Francophone countries, while we ensure that trade and development are on equal footing.
We have demonstrated this commitment to effective international development since the earliest days of our government.
In the 2006 budget, our government reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to double international assistance to $5 billion in 2010-2011.
But it also seemed clear to us that, to give a new impetus to our international assistance, we had to make some changes to existing policies and practices.
At that time, Canada’s assistance was too scattered among too many countries and too many themes.
Moreover, this situation was noted in a critical report by the OECD on Canada’s aid policies.
In 2007, we therefore adopted an aid effectiveness action plan.
We focused our efforts geographically and thematically.
We identified 20 countries of focus, to which we channelled 80% of our bilateral aid.
We also identified five priority themes to guide our international assistance efforts.
These themes reflected the priorities of developing countries, while building on Canada’s strengths:
- food security;
- the health women and children;
- economic growth;
- security and stability;
- advancing democracy.
Before Prime Minister Harper drew the world’s attention to the crucial issue of maternal, newborn and child health, we were having trouble reducing maternal and child mortality.
Thanks to the Muskoka Initiative and the resulting global action, maternal mortality rates are going down, and millions more children are able to celebrate their fifth birthday.
The current generation of children and youth is the largest ever seen in human history.
There are 7 billion people living on the planet, and nearly half of them are under 25.
More than 90% of these young people live in developing countries.
In many regions, basic education is not even conceivable: 67 million children, most of them girls, cannot go to school or benefit from other opportunities to learn that might give them hope for a better future.
We are also focusing our efforts on educating and protecting youth.
This is a logical consequence of our commitment to maternal, newborn and child health.
Canada is a global leader on food security and nutrition, which is also a priority theme for our government.
More than 850 million people worldwide currently suffer from malnutrition.
In addition to our maternal and child nutrition efforts, we are focusing specifically on sustainable agriculture.
Canada was one of the first donors to promote the central role of sustainable economic growth in international development, and it remains a priority.
Eliminating extreme poverty and promoting global prosperity are two sides of the same coin.
I think Canada is in an especially good position to help developing countries to meet these challenges, both institutional and economic.
Canada weathered the global financial crisis better than most of our trading partners, because Prime Minister Harper had a plan.
Today, Canada has the best employment record in developed countries. Nearly 1.1 million jobs have been created since the recession.
Canada’s experience can definitely be an asset for several developing countries.
Stability, trust, accountability and the rule of law are also essential conditions for sustainable economic and social development.
Canada will therefore continue to support the maintenance of free, pluralistic and well-administered societies, whose governments respect human rights and the rule of law, while effectively meeting the needs of their citizens.
Finally, Canada’s approach to security and stability is recognized worldwide and is a pillar of Canada’s foreign policy.
Promoting these two factors helps to minimize threats to security and to Canadian values, but also to optimize the economic potential of targeted countries.
We believe that these themes will allow us to maximize the impact of Canada’s contribution, while putting us at the heart of the greatest development challenges the world currently faces.
In addition to a sharper geographic and thematic focus, our government is giving more emphasis to the results of our aid program.
In 2007, we stopped funding our partners’ operating costs.
We are now supporting sustainable projects that produce results and have clearly defined objectives and outcomes.
We want Canada’s international development programs and projects to be harmonized with national needs and priorities defined by partner countries.
Our government has also devoted many efforts to making our aid more transparent.
Throughout the year, the Government of Canada reports to Canadians on its plans, activities and results.
We use a variety of new mechanisms and agreements, including the Open Data website, the Open Government Partnership and the International Aid Transparency Initiative.
These efforts are producing results.
In 2012, a new OECD report noted that Canada had markedly improved in terms of results and accountability.
In particular, the OECD noted that we have a stronger legislative framework with the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act, and that the Paris Declaration is a pillar of our development policies.
Canada is now seen as a global leader on open data, transparency and accountability in the context of development assistance.
In October 2013, Publish What You Fund, a leading NGO that works to promote aid transparency, ranked Canada’s aid program as one of the world’s three most transparent bilateral donors.
Canada is furthering its development priorities by working closely with a multitude of partners.
There is no one type of partner that alone can enable us to overcome all challenges.
First of all, effective partnership requires cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders to improve the lot of the poorest and most vulnerable.
This diversification, and especially our wish to cooperate more with the private sector, has generated some fears among our traditional partners.
Allow me to dispel any remaining doubts.
Mobilizing the private sector does not mean that we can dispense with the contribution of civil society.
Each stakeholder has its reason for being.
We know that sustainable economic growth drives poverty reduction, and the private sector drives economic growth.
It is thus vital to partner with the private sector to raise people from poverty and set them on the path to prosperity.
Since I became Minister of International Development, one of my priorities has been to create conditions that will enable these partnerships to increase significantly.
We can adopt changes in the Department that would be more supportive of the private sector.
I am thinking of many other non‑traditional partners that can help Canada to overcome the challenge of development.
For example, Canada’s scientific and technological community is one of our greatest assets.
There is no doubt that innovation is vital to the achievement of development results.
Since the Department has long been active in developing countries, it has a very unique perspective of the field.
At the present time, however, the Department admittedly does not have sufficient scientific and technological capability for us to be able to build effective partnerships in this area.
This is a problem that I quickly intend to remedy.
There is also the influx of immigrants from other countries, which has created diasporas, or expatriate communities, whose activities have an impact on development.
With transfers totalling nearly $24 billion in 2012, Canada is the third largest source of remittances to developing countries.
These remittances help to reduce poverty and meet basic needs in several developing countries.
There must be greater recognition of this significant contribution by our fellow citizens, and we cannot do without this valuable cooperation.
Diversifying our partnerships is crucial to the future success of our aid program, and there is no lack of opportunity to do so.
But it is just as important to maintain the quality and strength of our longest-standing partnerships with civil society.
For this reason, as Minister, I have made great efforts to establish ties with civil society.
I had often heard people talk about how our partner organizations splendidly represent Canada in the world.
Since becoming Minister of International Development, I have had the chance to see this with my own eyes.
Through their activities to assist poor and vulnerable communities, partner organizations embody Canadian values worldwide.
I know that, by working with our traditional partners in civil society, we can have a great impact on development.
Earlier this week, I launched a request for proposals for three initiatives:
- the International Youth Internship Program,
- the International Aboriginal Youth Internships Initiative, and
- the Volunteer Cooperation Program.
These initiatives are very important to our civil-society partners.
I hope this announcement will attest to our ongoing commitment to civil society.
I realize, however, that our partners are waiting for further calls and, above all, seek more predictability on our part.
These are legitimate expectations. In the coming months, I will work with our partners to find solutions that meet our shared objectives of effectiveness and transparency.
As you may have noticed, what I am telling you here today is different from what recent headlines have been saying.
They seemed to be giving the impression that our government’s changes overlooked Quebec.
In reality, in the past year we have worked with some 40 Quebec organizations, who have received $143 million in funding.
But should we really be surprised if Quebec shines in this new environment, knowing the strength of our organizations in the areas of health, education, microcredit, agriculture, cooperatives and human rights, to name only a few? Not at all!
I am not trying to embellish.
I know, for example, that recent requests for proposals have been difficult for Quebec-based organizations.
In fact, I discussed this with Gervais L’Heureux of AQOCI before coming here to meet with you.
I can assure you that every project is evaluated on the basis of merit.
Non-qualifying organizations must therefore get to the root of the problem. I think that AQOCI can play a constructive role in this regard.
I also want to maintain a frank and constructive relationship with Quebec’s civil-society organizations.
I am therefore proud to announce today that we have renewed our partnership with AQOCI for the next 5 years, for a total of $1.7 million.
This funding forms part of the Engaging Canadians initiative, which brings together the seven provincial and regional Councils for International Cooperation and the Yukon Development Education Centre. This initiative aims to mobilize Canadians for international development, and to build the capacities of hundreds of Canadian civil-society organizations to make them more effective.
AQOCI thus has a unique mandate to engage the public and to build the capacities of its members.
I am relying on this cooperation to promote greater involvement of Quebec in our national priority of maternal, newborn and child health.
Our government plans to mobilize all of our resources and expertise, from sea to sea, for this purpose.
There is no doubt in my mind that, without our prestigious universities, our renowned NGOs and our engaged private sector, Quebec can make a crucial contribution to this important cause.
By uniting our efforts, we can avoid preventable deaths among mothers, newborns and children, and save millions of lives that hang in the balance.
We have not yet achieved our common goal, but it is within arm’s reach.
As a nation, as a people, Canadians are motivated by the need to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
Our government’s approach to international development is not only in line with the values and principles of Canadians – it reflects them.
However, we must never lose sight of the fact that citizens expect Canadian aid to deliver tangible results.
We are better equipped today than ever before to reduce poverty and to invest our development assistance funding where it will have the greatest impact.
Canada will lead by focusing on the impact of its activities.
By developing innovative solutions that can change lives.
The Muskoka Initiative on maternal, newborn and child health is an excellent example of what we can achieve when we show leadership and focus our efforts.
Saving the lives of women and children is not only a moral imperative – it is the foundation for building prosperous communities for this generation and the next. This work reflects our most strongly held Canadian values.
I therefore invite you to share your lessons and your expertise with the world at the Prime Minister’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Summit, which will take place in Toronto from May 28 to 30.
In closing, I would like to remind you how important it is for us to work together to showcase Canada’s leadership in reducing poverty in developing countries.
We must all encourage Canadians to get involved, and let them know the importance of the work we do, and the extraordinary results we are achieving together.
Canadians must see these results if we want their support.
They must see the efforts being made, of which they can be extremely proud.
They must know that our efforts are recognized and admired by partners worldwide.
So I encourage you to work with Canadians.
To get them involved.
Let them know the importance of the work we do.
And the extraordinary results we are achieving together.
Thank you.
