“This is more than a budget: it is a call to action for the world.”

OTTAWA — The ONE Campaign issued the following statements in support of Prime Minister Trudeau’s Budget 2018:

Bono, the lead singer of U2 and the co-founder of The ONE Campaign:

“Oh Canada! Prime Minister Trudeau’s budget — and the smart, women-centered policy that guides it — is leadership in action. Words alone can be cheap, but words written into budgets are worth their weight in lives saved, and worthy of praise. We are grateful for your leadership today, and for what we know Canada will help the world deliver at the G7 this Spring.”

Stuart Hickox, Canada director for The ONE Campaign:

“This is more than a budget: it is a call to action for the world.

“Since even before the announcement of Canada’s new ‘feminist’ international assistance policy, the Trudeau government has been the strongest voice for girls and women in a lot of international conversations. We’ve witnessed it firsthand and seen the positive impact it has on other countries’ leaders. But words alone won’t be enough to empower girls and women everywhere, so it is truly exciting to see those words backed up by an impressive increase in investment in development priorities.

“We are grateful to the Prime Minister, Minister Morneau, and Minister Bibeau for their leadership today as it signals the start of a sustained period of increased investment in those trying to climb out of extreme poverty, particularly the girls and women they champion so earnestly.

“This budget sends an encouraging message about how this government intends to approach its upcoming G7 summit in Quebec, viewing the economic empowerment of women not solely as a domestic issue, but rather as a global responsibility. Other G7 leaders should take note.

“The G7 summit was once a place where leaders of the world’s strongest economies came together to tackle the most important and urgent challenges facing the world. Canada has used previous G7 summits to commit to transformative investments in assistance to developing countries in Africa and to improving the health of mothers, newborns, and children. We should be even more ambitious this year.

“Canada’s G7 presidency is a rare opportunity to show the world what Canadian values really mean and what Canadian leadership can accomplish, and Prime Minister Trudeau should use the G7 summit in Quebec to deliver a bold initiative with financial commitments to empower girls and women everywhere. No one country can solve this problem alone: We have to think big and we have to work together with other nations.

“Prime Minister Trudeau should propose an ambitious proposal around which G7 leaders from across the political spectrum can rally: one that advances education, financial inclusion, market access, and land-tenure security. By focusing on tangible outcomes, new financial investments, and the concrete narrowing of gender gaps, millions of women and girls could become empowered to lift their families and communities out of poverty.

“ONE’s 9 million members in Canada and around the world are eager to rally around such a plan and help build the political support necessary for seeing it succeed, but it needs to start with strong leadership from Prime Minister Trudeau right now.”