Re: Live8: a triumph for sentiment, not for results
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Posted by Conservative MP on 21:50:40 2005/07/04
In Reply to:
Live8: a triumph for sentiment, not for results posted by Naresh
Helena Guergis, MP
Official Opposition Critic for International Cooperation
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2005
Liberal Record on Foreign Aid Abysmal
OTTAWA The federal government must tell Canadians how it will reach Canada's 2015 Foreign Aid goal before the Prime Minister poses for another photo-op with rock stars, says Helena Guergis, Official Opposition Critic for International Cooperation.
"Bono has criticized the Prime Minister for not keeping his word but that hasn't stopped Paul Martin from keeping the slide show and video clips running on his website from the last time he posed with the U2 rock star," said Helena Guergis. "Paul Martin is being a hypocrite when he says he won't make commitments for the sake of a photo-op.
On June 9, 2005 the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a motion, with full Conservative support, calling on the government to come up with a plan to reach 0.7% of GDP in foreign aid by 2015.
"The Liberal record on international assistance is the worst in Canadian history," said Guergis, "yet the Minister for International Cooperation recently gave testimony before the House Committee and admitted she had no plan for getting to the 2015 deadline."
The minister said in committee on June 21, "The goal is for the government to reach it. There is no plan to get there at this point... A plan to me indicates a nailed-down piece of paper and I don't believe that we're there yet."
The Liberals currently spend 0.26% of GDP on foreign aid. Even if Paul Martin doubles that by 2008, it will only get Canada back to where it was under the Mulroney Conservative government.
"Paul Martin has cut $9 billion out of Canada's foreign aid spending since 1993 and now he wants to be seen as the saviour of Canada's foreign aid spending," said Guergis. "It's time to stop the phony photo-ops with rockers and get down to business and develop a plan for keeping Canada's foreign aid commitments."
Guergis will attend the Live 8 concert Saturday in Barrie along with fellow Conservative MPs Rahim Jaffer (Critic for Infrastructure and Municipalities), Jeff Watson, MP for Essex and Barrie CPC candidate Patrick Brown.
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For more information please contact: Scott Brownrigg (613) 795-6833
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