Your address
Date
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Dear Prime Minister:
I am concerned about Canada’s declining budget for international development. The Canadian International Development Agency is set to reduce expenditures by $319 million over the next three years. Scaling back Canadian assistance will hurt poor families in the developing world. I urge you to restore funding for CIDA in Budget 2013.
I believe that we have a moral responsibility to help people in the developing world and I think most Canadians would agree. CIDA leads Canada’s international effort to help people living in poverty, including important projects to improve food security, enable access to education, provide life-saving medical treatments and strengthen democracy, among others. The Agency collaborates with Canadian NGOs to contribute resources and technical expertise to address development challenges on the ground. CIDA also supports Canadian engagement in bilateral multilateral development mechanisms and delivers humanitarian assistance in areas impacted by natural disasters.
These investments are making a difference but cut-backs threaten to undermine progress. Canada should reinvest in international development in Budget 2013. Please restore funding for CIDA to 2011 levels at a minimum.
Yours sincerely,
Your name and signature
c.c. The Hon. Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance
Your M.P.