44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 28, 2023
- 12:01:03 p.m.
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Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thanks to the witnesses for being with us today, both in person and online.
Two things in particular stood out from their respective presentations. The first is access to vulnerable populations, that is, children with disabilities, in this instance, today. The second is funding.
My first question concerns access to vulnerable populations.
Second, we have worked on Bill C‑41. It was designed in part to ensure that people are able to work with vulnerable populations in countries like Afghanistan. I wonder if the fact that a country is controlled by a terrorist entity, as is the case in Afghanistan, is still a problem for your organizations.
Do you still have trouble accessing vulnerable populations of children with disabilities despite the passage of Bill C‑41?
That's an open question. I know that World Vision Canada took part in the discussions, as did CARE Canada, I believe.
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- 12:02:50 p.m.
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My understanding is that there has been an improvement but that the original objective hasn't yet been achieved.
Thank you very much.
As regards funding, Canada has nevertheless adopted a so‑called feminist international aid policy. We've discussed the difference between the treatment reserved for boys and girls with disabilities. I completely support the vision of a Liberal government international feminist policy. However, funding is the issue. Today, international aid represents 0.29% of Canada's gross domestic product, or GDP. That's less than the 0.32% level reached by the Harper government. Perhaps inflation is a contributing factor to that decline.
These days, when people talk to us about inflation, how hard is it for you to get federal government funding? How do you have to advance your international aid program? Are you considering taking action in the public space by appealing to the media, for example?
That's an open question, and I invite all the witnesses to answer it. Everyone has talked to us about funding. I can see the weak areas in the international aid the government provides. Canada is well below the 0.7% threshold requested by the UN. It's also well below the average for members of the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development, the OECD, which is 0.42%.
How can we force the government to provide more funding for initiatives such as yours?
How can we prevent certain political parties from including budget cuts in their political agendas? I'm thinking of the party that proposed to cut international aid spending by 25% in order to capture votes.
Do you have any suggestions to make on that subject?
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- 12:06:19 p.m.
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Thank you very much.
I have a question for the Humanity and Inclusion Canada representatives.
However, I see hands still raised for the previous questions.
I yield the floor to you, Ms. Delorme.
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- 12:07:29 p.m.
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Thank you.
Mr. Simms, you also had your hand raised. You have the floor.
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- 12:08:20 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, do I have any time left?
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- 12:08:25 p.m.
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In that case, the other people who had their hands up can answer my questions in the next round.
Thank you.
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- 12:27:48 p.m.
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Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Delorme, I was surprised to hear other witnesses who appeared before you say that sometimes it seems hard for francophone children in Canada to find specialized French-language services, which requires families to turn to English-language services.
In your experience and practice, have you heard about that in the rest of Canada, especially regarding francophone children with disabilities outside Quebec? If not, others may comment on this.
There are no right or wrong answers. We're here today to discuss the subject of our study and to improve the situation. That's everyone's objective.
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- 12:28:55 p.m.
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That's the point of my next question.
When do you plan to address the problem? Your organization operates in 80 countries. The members of the Save the Children organization work in 63 countries. World Vision's representatives are virtually everywhere. I see there's a real discrepancy between the services offered to anglophone and francophone populations. That's what I've understood, but I may be wrong.
Ms. Delorme, you're very familiar with the problem. Can you tell us why it's that way? What potential solutions are there?
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- 12:30:28 p.m.
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In Cameroon, for example, roughly one fifth of the population is anglophone and the remaining four fifths francophone. One side of the population is better served than the other, even though they're part of the same country.
Is my understanding of the situation correct?
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- 12:31:46 p.m.
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Thank you very much.
Mr. Messenger, my colleague mentioned intersectionality earlier. To sum up what I've heard today, it's essentially hard to access vulnerable populations, and it's even more difficult when children have disabilities. If they are girls, it's that much harder. And it's hardest in the case of francophone girls.
Am I right in saying that?
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- 12:47:18 p.m.
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Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm going to echo what Ms. Vandenbeld said earlier.
This isn't a monolithic block, but I'd like to add one point.
Ms. Evans and Mr. Hasan, you talked about introducing various projects in the regions.
When you deploy your projects, you have to adapt to the region's way of life and its cultural particularities. I imagine you don't roll out a project in the same way in Sri Lanka as you do in Mali, for example.
Consequently, when projects are funded, how flexible do the funding criteria have to be?
Mr. Hasan and Mr. Messenger, as well as Ms. Evans, would you care to comment on the subject?
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- 12:50:40 p.m.
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Thank you.
Mr. Chair, that's a popular question—
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