Ottawa, ON — World Vision Canada hopes next week's budget will include a minimum 12 per cent increase for international development assistance and a timetable to ensure that spending on foreign aid is 0.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2015.

"It is time for the federal government to follow through on a 30-year promise to bring aid spending to 0.7 per cent of GDP," says Kathy Vandergrift, World Vision Canada's policy director. "If Canada and other western countries do not meet previous commitments with new money, we will never know a world without poverty."

The response by Canadians to the Southeast Asia tsunami disaster demonstrates that individual Canadians overwhelmingly support Canada doing more in the global fight against poverty.  Over 75 per cent of Canadians agree that there is a need to increase international assistance.  It is time to close the gap between Canada's commitments and the performance of the government.

"To ensure that Canada's aid program is effective in the reduction of poverty, we would also like to see the adoption of a legislated mandate for the Canadian International Development Agency," continues Vandergrift.

Based on over 50 years of experience, World Vision Canada's international efforts provide evidence that spending on development can be an effective tool for achieving a healthy and equitable global economy through the establishment of local health, education, and economic development programs.

World Vision is an international Christian humanitarian relief and development organization, working in more than 90 countries helping approximately 85 million people each year. Canadians sponsor more than 310,000 children through World Vision.