Past President Wilf Wilkinson is pleased to advise that $250,000,000 Canadian that the previous Canadian Government committed to in 2013 for Polio Eradication worldwide, of which $12,000,000 was designated to match contributions made through or by Canadian Rotary Clubs, has been full paid.  Wilf is a member of the National Advocacy Advisor for Canada and the Rotary Advocacy Committee along with representatives from the World Health Organization and UNICEF have had meetings in Ottawa with Government Ministers and Senior staff.  The Government has been asked to pledge a further $150,000,000 Canadian to world-wide polio eradication initiative and it was suggested that some portion of those funds be allocated to match fundraising efforts in Canada by Rotary Clubs.
 
Rotarians are asked to sign a petition to encourage the government of Canada's continued support for polio eradication.  The petition can be found on the House of Commons website https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-798
 
The goal is to obtain 25,000 signatures on the petition by May 30, 2017.  Please encourage all of your friends and relatives to assist us by signing the petition.  Rotarians are also encouraged to call or write to their MP to request support for this issue and to communicate that support to Marie Claude Bibeau, Minister for International Development and to Prime Minister Trudeau.
 
With the centenary of The Rotary Foundation and the 150th anniversary of Canada, 2017 promises to be a great year.  Continued collaboration may also result in the interruption of polio transmission which would be a fantastic achievement to celebrate at the Rotary International Convention in Toronto in 2018.
 
On behalf of Rotary everywhere, Wilf Wilkinson thanked everyone for their continued work to END POLIO NOW.