Leaders of Canadian aid and development groups are heartened to hear Ottawa does not plan to reduce the country’s commitment to foreign aid, organization leaders told Canadian Affairs.
The aid group leaders were responding to a recent interview in Canadian Affairs, where Canada’s new secretary of state for international development, Randeep Sarai, said the amount Ottawa dedicates to aid will stay the same under the Carney government.
Canada spent $12 billion on foreign aid in fiscal year 2024.
Sarai also said Canada needs to “rethink” how it provides aid, especially now that the U.S. has pulled back from providing aid to the Global South through its aid agency USAID. In mid-July, Congress passed a bill approving about US$8 billion in cuts to multiple aid programs.
“Do we go broad and provide a little for a lot, or focus on a few things and do them really well?” Sarai told Canadian Affairs.
Janice Hamilton, executive director of the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation, says there are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches.
“With focused aid, we can perhaps see the impact more easily. But broader allows Canada to have a presence in more countries and thus build out reputation and allies with more countries,” she said.
Andy Harrington, executive director of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, says he was encouraged to hear about Canada’s commitment to maintaining its current level of aid. He also welcomed talk about cutting red tape and streamlining processes to make funding more accessible.
“Accessing Global Affairs funding has become more and more complicated in the past years as various clauses and requirements have become part of the funding process,” he said.
Richard Morgan, executive director of the Humanitarian Coalition, says that when it comes to reviewing how Canada dispenses aid, the challenge will be to find the right balance between humanitarian needs — which are increasing — and longer-term development programming, which can help mitigate those humanitarian needs.
Even as Canada dramatically increases its defence spending, international assistance “must be considered a vital part of a holistic approach to global security, stability and future prosperity,” Morgan said.
Telling the aid story
In his interview with Canadian Affairs, Sarai also said he 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,” the long-time MP said.
Morgan agrees that sharing stories about Canada’s aid efforts is critical for building support among Canadians for aid and development work.
“We do indeed have good stories to tell of the important work that Canadians are helping to make happen,” he said. “It is hard to get mainstream media to cover these.”
Harrington, of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, says he also is encouraged by Sarai’s emphasis on engaging with the Canadian public.
“Public support for humanitarian and development work has fallen in Canada due to some of the disinformation that has been prevalent in the last year or so,” he said.
Darron Seller-Peritz, a policy analyst and program officer for the umbrella group Cooperation Canada, echoed these sentiments.
“Canadians are disconnected from the great work their tax dollars are doing around the world,” he said.
In Morgan’s view, Sarai “makes a number of good points” around engaging more Canadians — as individuals, organizations, businesses and media — to support aid and development efforts in the Global South.
At the same time, “none of us can match the strength and importance of government funding for international assistance,” he added.
‘Support efficiencies’
Will Postma, executive director of Alongside Hope, the relief and development arm of the Anglican Church of Canada, says he believes Sarai is off to a good start.
“Collectively, we can offer suggestions to support efficiencies,” he said.
Harrington says he is open to a review of how Canada funds aid programs. At the same time, he thinks Canada should be open to new opportunities and to innovations by aid and development groups that can strengthen aid.
Seller-Peritz, of Cooperation Canada, says he hopes the government keeps its word about not cutting foreign aid.
Sarai made his comments about maintaining aid levels before the Carney government announced in early July that all government departments would be expected to find 7.5 per cent in savings for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Departments are expected to present their plans for finding savings at the end of August.
Seller-Peritz says he hopes Canadian aid groups will be invited to be part of the conversation for discussions when reviewing programs.
“That is really important for the sector,” he said.
Never mind giving out foreign aid. Help the veterans, seniors, homeless, persons on disability, and education here in Canada FIRST. Then give the gift of help to other countries.
It’s important to include foreign aid as an ongoing part of our overall aid programs. Shelving it while we look after domestic issues ‘first’ is an isolationist, narrow view and not conducive to maintaining well-rounded domestic as well as global affairs.