Budget 2013 reaction – press release
Your address
Date
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Dear Prime Minister:
I am concerned about Canada’s declining budget for international development. The Canadian International Development Agency is set to reduce expenditures by $319 million over the next three years. Scaling back Canadian assistance will hurt poor families in the developing world. I urge you to restore funding for CIDA in Budget 2013.
I believe that we have a moral responsibility to help people in the developing world and I think most Canadians would agree. CIDA leads Canada's international effort to help people living in poverty, including important projects to improve food security, enable access to education, provide life-saving medical treatments and strengthen democracy, among others. The Agency collaborates with Canadian NGOs to contribute resources and technical expertise to address development challenges on the ground. CIDA also supports Canadian engagement in bilateral multilateral development mechanisms and delivers humanitarian assistance in areas impacted by natural disasters.
These investments are making a difference but cut-backs threaten to undermine progress. Canada should reinvest in international development in Budget 2013. Please restore funding for CIDA to 2011 levels at a minimum.
Yours sincerely,
Your name and signature
c.c. The Hon. Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance
Your M.P.
In March 2012, the Government announced a reduction of more than 8 percent over 3 years to the budget of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). This $319 million cut is equivalent to the cost of one of the sixty-five F-35 fighter jets the Government wants to buy.
We are calling on the federal government to reverse cuts to CIDA and restore funding in Budget 2013.
Polling confirms that the majority of Canadians believe we have a moral obligation to assist those in the developing world. Over half believe the Government carries the primary responsibility for ensuring we meet this obligation. (Source: Inter-Council Network, May 2012)
Since 1990, the number of children dying before the age of five has dropped from 12 million to 6.9 million. The number of out of school children has declined by 30 million in the past decade to 61 million.
But Canada’s declining budget for international development will lead to set-backs in the fight against global poverty. That’s why we are calling on the Government to reverse the cuts!
Download the campaign brief (pdf).
Sign up to have your organization listed as a supporter of the campaign. Send an email to admin@acgc.ca.
Media enquiries can be directed to Elizabeth Dove, Public Engagement Director, RESULTS Canada: (416) 693-3999 elizabeth@results-resultats.ca.
New campaign launched to Reverse the Cuts to international development
OTTAWA, October 17, 2012 -- To mark the International Day for Poverty Eradication today, civil society organizations are launching a campaign to reverse the cuts to Canada’s budget for international development. The last federal budget cut $319 million from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Parliament’s Finance Committee began consultation hearings on Budget 2013 Monday.
Addressing global poverty and helping those in need is in line with Canadian values: a recent poll conducted by Vision Critical for the Inter-Council Network shows the majority of Canadians believe we have a human rights obligation to reduce global poverty and more than half of Canadians (52%) feel responsibility for addressing global poverty lies primarily with the federal government.
“Maintaining our engagement and support to developing countries is a moral obligation,” said Jean-François Tardif, Executive Director of RESULTS Canada. “Canada is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. We can afford this”, he added. “It is a question of priorities.”
The $319 million cut is equivalent to the cost of one of the sixty-five F-35 fighter jets the Government wants to buy - or about $3 per Canadian per year.
CIDA is the federal Agency that channels most of Canada’s international assistance. Historically, the Agency has collaborated with Canadian charitable organizations to fund hundreds of development projects in dozens of countries – many among the poorest of the world – to improve health and education, among other development priorities. Canada’s reduced budget for international development risks turning back the clock and will hurt poor families in developing countries.
Canadians are invited to participate in the Reverse the Cuts campaign by signing a petition asking the federal government to reverse the cuts, among other actions. More information is available at www.ReverseTheCuts.ca.
Organizers are hoping that thousands of Canadians and organizations will join the campaign and that Canada will become a leader once again in the area of international development.
In contrast to the cuts in Canada, the United Kingdom has chosen to maintain and even increase its budget for international development, despite having adopted the most severe austerity measures since World War II.
For more information about the campaign, please contact admin@acgc.ca.
