OTTAWA - A leaked draft of the final communique for the coming G8 summit suggests Canada may have dodged a political bullet on the thorny issues of abortion and climate change.
The draft, obtained by The Canadian Press, shows the world's most powerful countries are prepared to throw money at "all factors" affecting the health of women and children in poor countries, but it doesn't specifically mention abortion.
The Harper government has been under fire for insisting it will not fund abortion as part of its G8 maternal health plan, now known as the "Muskoka Initiative."
There is no agreement yet on specific funding for the maternal initiative, climate change, food security or aid to developing countries, despite strong words urging concrete measures.
"Action is required on all factors that affect the health of women and children," the document says. "This includes addressing gender inequality, ensuring women's and children's rights and improving education for women and girls."
Instead of singling out abortion for funding, the document refers only to the need to strengthen "voluntary family planning," likely giving Ottawa the wiggle room it seeks to avoid supporting access to safe abortion in poor countries.
The draft also shows that countries are still negotiating how much they should spend on the maternal and child health initiative. Sources have told The Canadian Press that Canada is willing to put up about $1 billion as long as other countries contribute as well. But in the draft communique, the total amount is still just an "X."
The draft, dated May 26, says the private sector and other countries and organizations beyond the G8 will be expected to ante up, too.
With just three weeks to go before the summit in Huntsville, Ont., negotiators are still a long way from agreeing to anything substantial on climate change, the draft shows.
So far, the only thing negotiators have apparently agreed to is that fighting climate change shouldn't hurt countries' economies -- a position the Harper government has been pushing.
Two major sections meant to deal with climate change are bracketed and empty, suggesting nothing firm could be set to paper. That despite pressure on the G8 to further climate-change negotiations and live up to promises to put $30 billion toward climate-change adaptation in poor countries.
The draft also talks about the importance of keeping the G8 as a leader in international affairs despite the rising prevalence of the broader G20 -- another Harper position. It defines the G20 as a body to deal with economic issues.
"For over 30 years, it has shown that its collective will can be a powerful catalyst for sustainable change and progress," the communique says of the G8, pointing to its role in development, international peace and security, and environmental protection.
The document is written in dense bureaucratese, but it bears the Harper government's stamp. The language on maternal health gives Harper room to allow for his anti-abortion stance. And the insistence that the private sector be involved in funding the Muskoka Initiative is in line with Harper's belief that corporations -- not just governments -- need to bear responsibility for the poor.
The climate change focus on the economy and technological change is in tune with Harper's argument that any efforts to clean up the environment should not hurt Canada's growth.
And the second paragraph coronation of the G8 as leader on all things related to development, international peace and security and environment, reflects Harper's mistrust of the larger and more diverse G20, and its ability to get things done beyond economics and finance.
The G8 was once the world's supreme economic decision-making body, but the draft has little to say on the state of the global economy. It recognizes that the recovery is "fragile" and it blames the financial crisis for the G8's failure to meet aid targets set out in the past.
International development advocates say they are dismayed at the lack of conviction to increase aid, and the lack of firm commitment to funding this late in negotiations.
"The communique shows no agreement yet on funding maternal health," said Mark Fried, policy co-ordinator for Oxfam Canada.
"The communique fails to pledge that the funding will be new and additional, opening the door to re-announcements of monies previously allocated or diversions from other pressing development priorities."
The draft refers to an annex that is meant to outline all the details of the Muskoka Initiative, but the annex has not yet been laid out.
"Unless they agree on significant new and additional money, we won't make a dent in the scandal of 1,000 women a day dying in pregnancy and childbirth," Fried said.
Still, he said he was heartened that Canada had agreed to address gender equality and ensuring women's and children's rights.
While the pact does not commit G8 countries to a specific increase in aid, as hoped for by anti-poverty advocates, it does urge both developed and developing countries to do more.
"Renewed mutual commitments are required," the draft says.
The countries also commit to concentrating their aid and security efforts on the world's most vulnerable states.
There won't be any shortage of voices at the G8 summit. The document shows that leaders from Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Colombia, Haiti and Jamaica will also be in Huntsville to meet the G8 leaders.
The G8 summit is June 25-26, followed by the G20 in Toronto on June 26-27.
