441-02682 (Foreign affairs)

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:

Whereas:

• The Liberal government's so-called 'feminist international assistance policy' has shown a lack of respect for the cultural values and autonomy of women in the developing world by supporting organizations that violate local laws on abortion and push abortion at the expense of international development priorities like clean water, access to basic nutrition, and economic development;

• The Liberal's approach to international development for women and girls has recently been criticized by the Auditor General for failing to measure results; and

• The Muskoka Initiative (launched by the previous Conservative government) involved historic investments in the wellbeing of women and girls around the world. The initiative emphasized value for money and ensured that investments were in priorities identified by local women.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, call on the Government of Canada to align international development spending with the approach taken in the Muskoka Initiative, focusing international development dollars on meeting the basic needs of vulnerable women around the world rather than pushing ideological agendas that may conflict with local values in developing countries, and measuring outcomes.