Statement made on 06 July 2010 by Senator Rod Zimmer
Hon. Rod A.A. Zimmer:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Following the G8 summit this past Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada is committing $1.1 billion of new money over five years for the maternal and child health initiative. This $1.1 billion is just short of the $1.2 billion spent over the weekend on the G8 and G20 summit security measures. The total Muskoka initiative funding commitment of $7.3 billion over the next five years, of which $5 billion came from the G8 countries and just $2.3 billion came from non-G8 countries, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Foundation, fell short of funding expectations held by various aid organizations.
I ask the Leader of the Government in the Senate: Why has the government committed less funding to the maternal and child health initiative than the total cost of the G8 and G20 summit security measures?
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