Aid groups dismayed as federal budget omits foreign aid for first time in over 15 years

OTTAWA · Canadian aid organizations are expressing alarm after the federal budget tabled this week failed to mention foreign aid for the first time in more than 15 years. The document from Prime Minister Mark Carney's government contains no references to international assistance, foreign aid or international development. A review of budgets since 2010 by The Canadian Press found each one had included such terms. The 2026 budget mentions Ukraine only in the context of drone production and aid workers briefly in relation to a permit program for areas controlled by terrorist groups.

Kate Higgins, head of the coalition Co-operation Canada, said the omission sends the wrong signal during a period of global instability. "The budget is largely silent on issues of international development co-operation and humanitarian action," Higgins said. She argued this is the wrong approach "at a time when the stakes around and the world are very high." The sector expects the government to proceed with a plan announced last year to cut $2.7 billion in foreign aid over four years, though advocates were relieved no further reductions were announced. Higgins said development funding is crucial for addressing crises like the situation in Gaza and the Ebola outbreak in Congo. "International development co-operation addresses the very challenges that the government is seeking to prioritize around defence, around stability, around diplomacy, around economic partnerships, around trade diversification, around a rules-based order that upholds democracy and human rights," she said. She hopes the government's foreign policy review, expected later this month, will provide details on plans for "international development assistance and humanitarian action."

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Friday the policy update is coming in "in a matter of weeks" and will include "our approach on development." "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," Anand told reporters on Parliament Hill. The budget's silence came days after a top UN humanitarian official, Tom Fletcher, called Canada a "humanitarian superpower" and said, "I really hope that Canada continues to hold the line."

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Lindsay Sheridan, policy director for Results Canada, said her team searched the budget document in vain for relevant terms. "International assistance, foreign aid, vaccines, tuberculosis, just seeing what was in it. And then continuously nothing came up. There was nothing on famines, either. And so, we were just surprised," Sheridan told supporters. Her organization posted a photo of a deflated balloon on social media after the budget's release. "We thought that this might be the moment where we would get a little bit more context, a little more understanding of maybe the direction we would be going," she added.

UNICEF Canada said Ottawa should at least mention international development when discussing responses to global threats. "International assistance helps children survive and thrive while strengthening the health, education and protection systems on which peaceful, stable societies depend," the group stated. The One Campaign urged Canada to commit $5.5 billion annually to development to safeguard global health and humanitarian investments. It also called for aligning "development, trade and investment institutions to support co-ordinated, mutually beneficial partnerships with African countries."

The House of Commons finance committee had previously urged more transparency on aid spending and a focus on the world's most vulnerable. Sheridan noted past Canadian governments led clear initiatives on maternal health and education in conflict zones with G7 support. "It seems like a missed opportunity to make a really well-rounded, robust strategy," she said. "It seems confusing. Not even a mention." Nosy Mag reported earlier this week that the annual immigration levels update would be released with this federal budget.

With files from The Canadian Press, CityNews and Global News