Canada will bring the concerns of smaller Commonwealth nations to G7 leaders in Germany on Sunday, particularly the growing threat of famine, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ms. Joly have been in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, since Wednesday for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where discussions focused on the concerns of nations suffering from food shortages.
In a press conference on Saturday, Mr. Trudeau pointed the finger at Russia, blaming it for exacerbating the food crisis.
“In several places in the world, we are experiencing food insecurity. With the export routes blocked in Ukraine or the increase in the price of fertilizers caused by the war, Vladimir Putin is worsening the food crisis”, denounced the Prime Minister.
Mr. Trudeau assured that Canada would help the most affected countries, in particular with the investment of an additional $ 250 million announced Thursday to support the main humanitarian organizations in food.
“We had the chance to explain this situation, to demonstrate that it is caused by Russia, but also that Canada is there to help,” he said. Trudeau said Canadian grain transportation companies are on hand to help get grain to countries in need.
The Prime Minister also criticized Russia’s disinformation and misinformation, including the misinformation that the food crisis was caused by Western countries’ sanctions on Russia. “I was very clear, there is no sanction on food,” said Mr. Trudeau.
He detailed that the crisis is due to direct attacks from Russia, “including a few days ago, with missiles on grain warehouses, and with their blockades of the port of Odessa and other ports which prevent millions of tons of corn and wheat grain to go out of Ukraine to the countries that need it in the Middle East and Africa. »
According to Mélanie Joly, Russia was targeting Ukrainian ports and grain silos, preventing grain from reaching the countries that need it. “What is clear to us is that Russia is wreaking havoc in many countries around the world and putting 50 million lives at risk,” Minister Joly said Friday evening in Rwanda.
Minister Joly said Canada is in “listening mode” within the Commonwealth, where leaders of small countries can speak out without the dominating presence of the United States, Russia and China.
Investment
The Prime Minister announced on Saturday a new investment of $250 million dedicated to the advancement of crucial issues, such as global health, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health.
Thirty million dollars will be invested in various initiatives to share information and promote solutions to counter the climate crisis. It will also be used for projects that support peace and security on the African continent.
During Saturday’s press conference, Mr. Trudeau also addressed the issue of the energy transition. He said he looked forward to continuing discussions over the next few days with Germany and other European partners on near-term energy needs, but also on cleaner energy transformation, “which be expedited because of Russia’s actions”.
“A lot of the infrastructure that we could build for natural gas will also be used for hydrogen. All the investments we’re making […] must be used for this transition to less dependence on fossil fuels in the years to come,” said Mr. Trudeau. He added that Sunday’s G7 meeting will be used in particular to find possible solutions.
Mr. Trudeau also took advantage of his speech to denounce the situation on abortion in the United States. He said $120 million will be spent on 11 initiatives that support gender equality in Commonwealth countries. This includes a foundation for sexual health and reproductive rights in Nigeria as well as research projects to improve the health system.
“With women’s rights under attack in many places around the world, we must and will continue to invest in increasing access to safe sexual and reproductive health services for women everywhere,” said Trudeau. .
In addition, $94M will be dedicated in funding for education, including $80M for the Canadian International Development Scholarship Program 2030.
Justin Trudeau recalled that he was going to convert the Canadian office in Rwanda into a high commission, which will increase the capacity of the diplomatic services. In addition, an agreement was signed on Canada-Rwanda air transport, so that the two countries are better connected.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attempted to meet with African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat during the Commonwealth Summit, but the meeting was repeatedly postponed and ultimately cancelled.
Shortly after Mr. Trudeau’s arrival in Rwanda, the government announced that Canada would appoint a new ambassador to the African Union, which has suffered from food shortages inflicted on the continent following the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met with African Union officials as Russia blames sanctions on his country for the disruption in grain transportation.
For his part, Justin Trudeau will travel to the Bavarian Alps in Germany on Saturday evening for the G7 summit, where the conflict with Ukraine will be a priority.
The Canadian foreign minister said she spoke with her G7 counterparts on Friday and expects starvation and the safe passage of Ukrainian refugees to be the main topics of discussion.
Prime Minister Trudeau also promised to put the concerns of young leaders who spoke at a dialogue event on Saturday at the center of his international meetings. They spoke of the devastating effects of climate change, especially around remote island nations where infrastructure cannot withstand natural disasters and reconstruction efforts take years.