More efficient, streamlined and visible — that is the vision Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, has for Canada’s foreign aid.
In an interview with Canadian Affairs, Sarai said Canada needs to “rethink” how it does foreign aid, especially now that the U.S. has pulled back from providing aid to the Global South through its aid agency USAID.
Sarai, who was appointed secretary of state by Prime Minister Mark Carney in early May, says he wants to make it “quicker, easier and less cumbersome” for Canadian aid and development organizations to apply for funding from Global Affairs.
Secretaries of state are not cabinet ministers, but provide dedicated leadership on issues within a cabinet minister’s portfolio. Sarai’s authorities are delegated to him by Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand. These include managing the budget and overseeing international development within Global Affairs Canada.
Sarai says he is interested in “cutting red tape” in response to complaints from Canadian aid groups that it is often challenging to get funding from Global Affairs due to large amounts of paperwork and other requirements.
At the same time, he wants to “maintain the integrity of the system” to ensure that public dollars are spent wisely and efficiently.
‘Value to our leadership’
Canada’s commitment to foreign aid — which stood at $12 billion in fiscal year 2024 — will not change. But there will be “tweaks,” Sarai said, noting the country needs to be more “nimble and creative” so it can do more with the same amount of funding.
He wants to examine how Canada decides which development programs to fund.
“Do we go broad and provide a little for a lot, or focus on a few things and do them really well?” he asked.
Canada cannot fill all the gaps created by USAID’s closure, but it can play an important leadership role by working with other countries and the private sector, he says.
“There is value to our leadership in this space,” he said.
Citing his recent participation in the United Nations’ Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, Spain, Sarai reiterated Canada’s commitment to building an international financing system that can help mobilize private capital for sustainable development.
This would include finding new ways to increase the amount of private capital for funds that improve the livelihoods of people in developing markets, he says.
But Sarai says he is interested in mobilizing all sources of finance for development efforts — private, public and Canadian donations.
At the recent G7 in Kananaskis, Alta., Canada committed to spend $391.3 million “to catalyze private capital toward economic growth and development projects around the world” and to offer loans of up to $544 million for new development financing in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Carney government also remains committed to Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, a policy launched in 2017 that champions gender equality in Canada’s international assistance programming.
“I saw first hand the importance of supporting women while visiting Ghana,” Sarai said, recalling a program that provided women farmers with technical know-how to increase crop yields so they could support their families. “It’s a winning strategy.”
‘Canadian fabric’
Closer to home, Sarai wants to increase the visibility of foreign aid within Canada.
“I spent 36 days door knocking on doors during the campaign, and most people didn’t understand what Canada was doing with its foreign aid, how the money was being spent,” said Sarai, the member of Parliament for Surrey Centre in B.C. since 2015.
“Canadians can be proud” of what Canada is funding in the Global South, he said, noting things like helping people respond to flooding or planting climate-resilient crops.
One way to help Canadians understand the impact of foreign aid is by telling more stories of its impact on people on the ground, he says.
He believes Canadians want to hear those stories. “It’s part of our Canadian fabric to give back,” he said.
Sarai acknowledged that it is “tough to get media coverage” of the work being done by Canadian NGOs around the world. The government and NGOs need to do more to explain how foreign aid helps Canada become more secure, he says.
“The world is a small place. Diseases far away can appear on our doorsteps if we don’t treat them in other countries,” he said, also noting how conflict can create refugees.
It is in the interest of all Canadians to address issues in other countries, instead of waiting for them to appear in Canada, he says. Finding ways to strengthen other countries also enables them to become markets for Canadian businesses.
Any recommended changes Canada’s foreign aid policies will be announced by early fall of this year, Sarai says.
Speaking personally about his new role as Canada’s secretary of state for international development, Sarai says it fits well with his Sikh faith, which emphasizes seva, or service.
“I was taught by my parents and my community the importance of serving others or giving back,” he said, adding he can put it into practice on a global scale in his new role.
Correction, July 9, 2025 3:26 pm: A prior version of this article said secretaries of state do not have their own ministry, department or budget. This article has been updated to clarify Secretary of State Randeep Sarai has the authorities delegated to him by Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand. These include managing the budget and overseeing international development within Global Affairs Canada.
Leave a comment