Aid sector says federal budget makes no mention of foreign aid as foreign policy review approaches

The Story

Canada’s aid sector says it is dismayed by a federal budget that makes no mention of foreign aid or international development cooperation, and is urging Ottawa to spell out its approach in a foreign policy review expected later this month.

Co-operation Canada, which represents most Canadian aid groups operating abroad, said the budget is “largely silent on issues of international development co-operation and humanitarian action.” The group’s head, Kate Higgins, argued that is “the wrong approach” when “the stakes around and the world are very high.”

Higgins said the federal government’s budget tabled Thursday by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government includes no references to international assistance, foreign aid, or international development. She added that the budget mentions Ukraine only in reference to drone production and refers to aid workers only in passing, in a section about an existing permit program for organizations operating in areas Ottawa lists as terrorist entities.

The sector pointed to Ottawa’s plan, announced last year, to cut $2.7 billion in foreign aid over four years, saying it was relieved the budget did not announce further cuts. Higgins also said Ottawa should acknowledge the role development funding plays in addressing crises abroad, including the humanitarian plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Higgins said she hopes the foreign policy review will include more details on Ottawa’s plans for “international development assistance and humanitarian action.” She said development funding connects to priorities Ottawa is pursuing across defence, stability, diplomacy, economic partnerships, trade diversification, and a rules-based order that upholds democracy and human rights.

On Parliament Hill Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the foreign policy update will come “in a matter of weeks” and will include “our approach on development.” Anand said: “Rest assured, development assistance is a priority for Global Affairs Canada. It is the reason why we have come forth with humanitarian assistance for Cuba, for Lebanon, for Gaza, for Sudan, among others, this year alone.”

The criticism also followed praise from the United Nations’ global head of humanitarian issues, Tom Fletcher, who described Canada as a “humanitarian superpower” for the world’s most vulnerable four days before the budget.

Other advocates and organizations expressed disappointment with the budget’s lack of references to development and humanitarian aid. Results Canada said its team searched the document in vain for terms relevant to its work, including “international assistance, foreign aid, vaccines, tuberculosis,” and said it also found nothing on famines. UNICEF Canada said Ottawa should at least mention international development when discussing its response to global threats and volatility, writing that “International assistance helps children survive and thrive while strengthening the health, education and protection systems on which peaceful, stable societies depend.”

The One Campaign, which advocates for African partnerships, said Ottawa should commit to spending $5.5 billion on development annually to “safeguard global health and humanitarian investments that underpin long-term economic stability.” The group also said Ottawa should align its “development, trade and investment institutions” to support coordinated partnerships with African countries.

In the House of Commons, the finance committee urged Ottawa to use the budget to provide more transparency about where Canada’s aid dollars are going and to focus funding on the world’s most vulnerable. Advocates said they wanted clearer priorities for aid spending.

Higgins contrasted the sector’s expectations for an aid strategy with past and current initiatives, including the Harper government’s focus on maternal health and the Trudeau government’s work on providing education to children in conflict zones, which she said Canada led with support from G7 partners and global financing institutions. She said the lack of a budget discussion amounted to “a missed opportunity” and that it left the direction unclear, adding: “Not even a mention.”