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Priorities, priorities.

What are we to think when a country announces it will cut aid to an earthquake-ravaged nation while its overseas development agency funnels millions to the world’s largest abortion provider?

Julian Fantino, Prime Minister Harper’s International Development Minister, announced Friday that the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) would stop funding new development projects in Haiti, which is still recovering from the devastating earthquake in 2010. CIDA sent around $50 million to Haiti in 2010-2011, but Fantino says he is disappointed with the slow progress of post-earthquake reconstruction.

Yet he says this as CIDA is sending $6 million to the International Planned Parenthood Federation between 2012 and 2014 for work in countries where they provide early abortions and actively campaign for abortion-on-demand.

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So we’re cutting overseas money for the poor but maintaining funding for abortion? Weird optics, wouldn’t you say?

I applaud Mr. Fantino for his vote in favour of Stephen Woodsworth’s Motion 312 in the fall – a rather bold move for a Minister considering the Prime Minister’s stance. And of course, he may be right to demand higher standards from Haiti. We ought to hold our funding recipients accountable.

But if we’re going to be solicitous over where our tax money is going, why start by targeting aid to the poor? The government’s got a grant on the books that patently diverts development aid to abortion, and thereby violates a promise made by the Prime Minister himself to not fund abortion overseas.

If we’re cutting funding commitments, there’s no better place to start.

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