The one link is the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative allows for the IMF to forgive debts that are owed to it by these selected countries.

Funding to Finance to increase a debt payment to international organizations on behalf of poor countries as part of the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative ($100.0 million).

Philippe Hall, Senior Economist, International Trade and Finance, Department of Finance Canada: Clause 18 is basically an administrative change to help us administer what we call the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, which is an initiative the government signed on to in 2005 at the Gleneagles G8 Summit.

These items include: $707.4 million in compensation for funding salary adjustments; $105.9 million to accelerate tripartite negotiations in British Columbia and to begin negotiations with other provinces, supported by investments in health innovation and core health services for First Nations; $100 million to support CANDU reactor refurbishment projects; $100 million to increase a debt repayment to international organizations on behalf of poor countries as part of the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative — a generous and far-sighted initiative, honourable senators, which I am sure you will join me in applauding; $85 million for the Ca ...[+++]nadian contribution to the World Bank's Climate Investment Fund's pilot program to support climate change adaptation; $65 million to provide humanitarian assistance and better nutrition to vulnerable regions such as the Horn of Africa and the Congo; $58.2 million in funding for the non-business risk management elements of Growing Forward, which is a joint federal-provincial-territorial program to support farmers' livelihoods in the face of economic and environmental uncertainty; $53.8 million in incremental funding to offset fuel price increases for the benefit of First Nation and Northern communities under the Capital Facilities Maintenance Program; and $53.4 million in funding to match the typically generous donations of the Canadian public to the international response effort following Cyclone Nargis in Burma and the earthquake in China.

(b) an allocation to cover unforeseen needs such as emergency assistance where such support cannot be financed from the EU budget, contributions to internationally agreed debt relief initiatives and support to mitigate adverse effects of instability in export earnings.

This decision comes under the framework of the international debt-relief initiative for highly-indebted poor countries (HIPC), launched in 1996 and extended during the G7 summit in Cologne in June 1999 in order to offer broader and faster debt relief for HIPCs.