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CANADA:

Claude Baillargeon expressed some concern with the proposal for 20-year goals because goals do not necessarily translate into worthwhile programmes. Goals cannot be imposed from outside; they must make sense within national realities and must be relevant, embraced and owned by governments and their peoples. He suggested that the recommendations from the Ottawa roundtable on family planning, reproductive rights and reproductive health be incorporated into the final document. With regard to international migration, recommendations should address the need for sustained and sustainable economic growth and development; ensuring that migration benefits both sending and receiving countries as well as individual migrants; addressing the underlying causes of refugee movements; and protecting the right to seek asylum. The follow-up section requires more work and should ensure that the progress made in Cairo is enhanced at the Social Summit, the Women's Conference and Habitat.