“The juxtaposition of a recommended 70 percent increase to the defence budget with a recommended 0 percent increase to the development budget is simply stunning.”

OTTAWA — Upon release of the Trudeau government’s International Assistance Review (IAR), ONE’s Canada Director, Stuart Hickox, said:

“Putting girls and women at the centre of Canada’s international assistance spending is smart policy, and Minister Bibeau deserves credit for pushing that forward. Not only does extreme poverty hit girls and women hardest, but empowering girls and women is the best way to end extreme poverty for everyone. Especially ahead of Canada’s G7 presidency, we appreciate the Trudeau government’s desire to be a global leader in gender equality, and hope that it will translate to additional investments in the education and empowerment of girls in the world’s poorest countries.

“The decision to ensure that 50 per cent of Canada’s international assistance spending goes to countries in sub-Saharan Africa is really important. Canadians should be able to trust that their development investments are going to the people who need it most, so this is welcome news.

“That said, it’s disappointing that the IAR process is concluding with a recommendation to move money around inside the International Assistance Envelope again, but not to increase its overall size. The juxtaposition of a recommended 70 percent increase to the defence budget with a recommended 0 percent increase to the development budget is simply stunning.

“Minister Freeland’s speech to Parliament on Tuesday laid out a genuinely inspiring vision for Canada’s role in the world. It was the boldest articulation yet of the ‘Canada is back’ sentiment that Justin Trudeau expressed on election night, but it set a high bar to which the IAR fails to measure up. It is unfortunate that more of Minister Freeland’s rhetoric did not find its way into the IAR’s policy recommendations. It is long past time for the Trudeau government to match its words with its actions.”

About ONE

ONE is a policy and advocacy organization of 8 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, ONE was co-founded by U2 lead singer Bono to raise public awareness and press political leaders to combat AIDS and other preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs.