Parliamentary Secretary Lois Brown hosts round table in Burlington on how to deliver tangible MNCH results across the world
August 8, 2014 - Burlington, Ontario - Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
Today, Lois Brown, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, hosted a round table with Mike Wallace, Member of Parliament for Burlington, and local stakeholders, to discuss the way forward to continue to improve the lives of mothers and their children in the developing world. This meeting was part of the consultations announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach Summit which took place in Toronto last May.
PS Brown is holding another series of MNCH consultations and round tables in British Columbia and Saskatchewan next week.
“We must continue to push on proven and reliable approaches and work together to ensure that maternal, newborn and child health remains a global priority in order for us to continue delivering real results for women and children in the world’s poorest countries,” said PS Brown. “Canada is committed to delivering real results and turning global commitments into action.”
The round table focused on how to ensure that global commitments deliver real results to those in need while remaining accountable to Canadian taxpayers. Canada is committed to scaling up interventions that will have the greatest impact, in the areas of strengthening health systems, improving nutrition, and reducing the burden of leading diseases.
“Our common goal of eliminating preventable deaths among women, newborns and children has not yet been reached but it is within arm’s reach,” said Minister Paradis. “Maternal, newborn and child health is Canada’s top development priority, and we are committed to working with all stakeholders to make a difference and save lives.”
"I am pleased to host the round table consultation in Burlington and hear from our community leaders,” said Mike Wallace, Member of Parliament for Burlington. “I am very proud of Canada’s initiative that is making a real difference in the lives and health of women and children around the world."
In 2010, Prime Minister Stephen Harper launched the Muskoka Initiative, which put maternal, newborn and child health at the forefront of global development efforts. Thanks to Canadian leadership and subsequent global action, maternal mortality rates are declining and millions more children are celebrating their fifth birthday. Recognizing that there is much more work to be done, Prime Minister Harper hosted the Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach Summit in Toronto in 2014. At the summit, Canada committed an additional $3.5 billion to continue support through to 2020, and issued the Toronto Statement, which reaffirms global consensus on a shared commitment to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children under the age of five within a generation.
Sandrine Périon
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
343-203-6238
sandrine.perion@international.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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