Thank you for that question.
I'll start by saying that the overall amount of funding to the Canada fund for local initiatives is $26.9 million this year. To answer your question, it is allocated at headquarters per mission, but heads of mission or ambassadors control how it is spent locally. There are 71 missions around the world, credited to 135 countries, that receive assistance. The projects range in size. They are generally small. They're generally one year long. The average contribution is about $30,000. They're really meant for an ambassador, an embassy, a head of mission, to try to respond to local needs and to issues that are perhaps not given sufficient attention. They are often issues with respect to human rights, women's rights, LGBTQI, gender equality, democracy, peace and security.
The ministers are working on a proposal with respect to the mandate letter commitment, and I would say that all of us on this call have managed such funds. They're an excellent tool. They not only provide support to issues and organizations that are sometimes struggling, but they also bring a lot of credit to Canada. Anything that parliamentarians could do would be helpful.