Bibeau to announce funds to combat female genital mutilation in West Africa
OTTAWA — The federal government will announce funding of $3 million for a project aimed at eradicating female genital mutilation in West Africa.
International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau is to make the announcement of the four-year initiative on Tuesday, making it the first government project to target the controversial practice.
The issue sparked domestic political discord in Canada after The Canadian Press revealed last year that references condemning the practice had been cut from a draft of the Immigration Department’s new citizenship guide for new arrivals.
The opposition Conservatives included the reference in their version of the guide while they were in power, and criticized the government for initially cutting it out.