OTTAWA - A leaked draft of the final communique for the coming G8 summit suggests Canada has dodged a 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 heavy fire for insisting that it will not fund abortion as part of its G8 maternal health initiative.
On the environment, the only thing G8 negotiators have apparently agreed to is that fighting climate change shouldn't hurt countries' economies -- a position the Harper government has been pushing.
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.
The G8 summit is June 25-26 in Huntsville, Ont., followed by the G20 in Toronto June 26-27.
