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GOVERNMENT OF CANADA ANNOUNCES RENEWAL OF CANADIAN LANDMINE FUND

November 29, 2002 (1:10 p.m. EST) No. 165

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA ANNOUNCES RENEWAL OF CANADIAN LANDMINE FUND

Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham today announced that the Government of Canada will provide an additional $72 million for the Canadian Landmine Fund, which supports mine action activities around the world.

The announcement marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines, which took place on December 3, 1997. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien presented Canada's instrument of ratification to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan the same day, making Canada the first country to ratify the Convention.

"In the last five years, Canada has played a key role in global mine action as both a major architect of the Ottawa Convention and a leader in efforts to make it work," said Minister Graham. "Tremendous progress has been achieved during this period. We realize, however, that much remains to be done. This new funding will provide critical assistance to the dedicated people around the world who are engaged in removing anti-personnel mines and helping those harmed by these indiscriminate weapons."

The government created the Canadian Landmine Fund in 1997, allocating $100 million to advance the global implementation of the Ottawa Convention and provide direct assistance to mine-affected communities in every region of the world.

"It is a tragic fact that developing countries are often the most severely affected by anti-personnel mines, both in terms of the number of mines and the impact they have on the local population," said International Cooperation Minister Susan Whelan. "Eliminating landmines in severely mine-affected countries is a prerequisite for poverty reduction and long-term sustainable development."

The new funding, which will be disbursed over a five-year period beginning in April 2003, will support global mine action activities, including mine-clearing projects, assistance to landmine victims and their communities, mine risk education, and the destruction of stockpiled mines. The fund will also be used to promote universal adherence to the Convention and to support the development of Canadian-made mine action technologies.

"Canadian Forces personnel can be proud of the role they have played in clearing mines around the world and teaching those skills in mine-affected communities," said National Defence Minister John McCallum.

The Ministers also noted that the funding underscored Canada's long-term commitment to efforts to implement the Convention and to further alleviate the suffering of people in mine-affected communities.

The funding announced today was provided for in the December 2001 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.

For further information on Canadian global mine action initiatives, please visit: http://www.mines.gc.ca

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For further information, media representatives may contact:

Isabelle Savard

Director of Communications

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

(613) 995-1851

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874

Valérie Poulin