WASHINGTON (February 11, 2014) – The ONE Campaign welcomes the Canadian government’s announcement to maintain its development assistant budget at current spending levels. Canada’s global commitments to humanitarian assistance and development are saving countless lives and helping millions of people lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

In Ottawa last week, ONE and its partners delivered a petition to the government with more than 20,000 signatures from Canadians across the country asking Prime Minister Harper to ensure that no cuts would be made to the development budget after last year’s CA$380 million cuts. Our partners included Engineers Without Borders Canada, the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, the Global Poverty Project, and Make Poverty History.

Tom Hart, ONE’s North American Executive Director, said:

“This is a win for Canada’s role as a major player in the fight against global extreme poverty and preventable disease. This announcement comes on the heels of Canada’s recent CA$650 million commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

We welcome Canada’s particular concentration on programs to ensure maternal, newborn and child health through the Muskoka Initiative and Grand Challenges Canada. We also applaud Ottawa’s commitment to aid effectiveness and accountability through the International Aid Transparency Initiative.”