Canada 7th in foreign aid spending, but a fifth goes to refugees inside the country
While Canada is one of the top contributors to foreign aid among some of the world's richest countries, a fifth of the spending never leaves Canada's borders.
Some 19 per cent of Canada's aid reported to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development last year benefited refugees and Ukrainians within Canada.
"Most Canadians would not think that counts, because when we think of foreign aid we think of something happening in other countries, not costs that we have here," said Elise Legault, Canada director with the One Campaign, an anti-poverty advocacy group.
Canada ranks seventh for dollars spent on foreign aid, according to the OECD, a group of mostly rich countries.
Last month, the organization released its analysis of aid spending in 2023.
It shows Canada spent just over US$8 billion in aid last year, of which $1.5 billion went to supporting refugees, asylum claimants and Ukrainians who fled the Russian invasion, during their first year in Canada.
The tabulation includes provincial and federal spending in this area, and it folds in Ukrainians who came to Canada on an emergency visa to wait out the war, but who are not technically refugees.
The spending accounts for 19 per cent of Canada's foreign aid, compared to an average of 13.8 among other OECD countries.
The United States spends 9.7 per cent of its aid budget within its own borders, while the United Kingdom spends 28 per cent domestically.
Unlike some other countries, Legault says the refugee spending is not eating into Canada's baseline foreign-aid budget.
"So far, they haven't been robbing Peter to pay Paul," she said.
"Other countries like the U.K. and Sweden have been raiding their foreign-aid budgets to cover the cost of refugees arriving in the country, and thankfully Canada has avoided that path."
Many have called for those costs to be reported separately for years, she said, despite the long-standing practice of combining them.
University of Ottawa professor Christina Clark-Kazak argued that combining them makes a certain amount of sense. She specializes in migration and development policy.
"Whether we're helping a refugee in a refugee camp or helping them in Canada, it's still money that's being spent on non-Canadians," she said.
"That's why it's captured in that way."
The spending reflects a turbulent era, as a historic number of people around the world have been forced to flee their homes due to armed conflicts and natural disasters linked to climate change, she said.
The high proportion of money spent on refugees partially stems from specialized resettlement programs, such as Ottawa's pledge to bring 40,000 Afghans to Canada, as well as health care and temporary shelter for people who claim asylum in Canada.
As for the portion that is spent abroad, significant funding goes toward responding to the conflict in Sudan and hunger in Haiti, and 21.4 per cent went to Ukraine, particularly in the form of loans.
The aid sector loudly protested the 15 per cent cut to foreign aid spent outside of Canada in the 2023 budget, despite the Liberals' pledge to increase aid funding every year.
The government argued they simply returned to the kind of spending that preceded a historic boost in aid dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
While Canada is the seventh-largest donor among OECD countries in terms of the raw number of dollars spent last year, it is well below tenth place when the money is compared to the relative size of Canada's economy.
Still, it was the most Canada spent on foreign aid in proportion to its gross domestic product since 1995, Legault said.
To the government's credit, Canada has responded to the many crises that have erupted over the last several years, she said.
With governments more prepared to respond to emergencies, they appear less keen to invest in proactive development projects meant to make countries more resilient, she said.
Former prime minister Lester Pearson set a target for rich countries to spend 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product on foreign aid. Canada reached only 0.38 per cent last year.
Clark-Kazak said it’s important to not think of foreign aid as a "zero-sum game," where dollars flow abroad instead of helping Canadians.
She argued that funding for refugees in Canada helps prepare them to be productive members of society during a labour shortage, pay taxes, and support the economy.
Both aid experts said Ottawa should be more upfront with Canadians about how and where the government spends aid money. As it stands, the spending is reported in several formats and the terminology is not consistent.
This spring's budget didn’t include a consolidated figure for how much Ottawa plans to spend on aid. Development Minister Ahmed Hussen and his department did not provide a specific number in the immediate wake of the budget either.
It's difficult for analysts to track whether Canada actually follows through on pledges made on the world stage, Legault said.
"Transparency is really important from the government, especially in an issue like foreign aid," she said.
"Canadians have the right to know how much we plan to spend, how much we have spent, and on what."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2024.
IN DEPTH
Why the outcome of one Toronto byelection could be consequential for Trudeau, Poilievre
The stakes are high in a looming June 24 federal byelection in a long-held Liberal riding in Toronto, and if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party shows signs of slipping, it could spark a bigger conversation, CTV News' pollster Nik Nanos says.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Shooting at Michigan splash pad leaves 'nine, maybe 10 victims': authorities
Gunfire erupted at a splash pad in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, leaving as many as 10 people wounded, authorities said.
As it happened: How the Oilers crushed the Panthers to force Game 5
The Edmonton Oilers' offence exploded in Game 4 to beat the Florida Panthers 8-1.
A new tax filing system could give Canadians more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits: PBO
Canadians would get more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits each year through an automatic tax filing system, according to a report published by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).
'They're not human beings, they're animals': Trump blasts immigrants for taking jobs
Donald Trump blamed immigrants for stealing jobs and government resources as he courted separate groups of Black voters and hardcore conservatives in battleground Michigan on Saturday.
Video shows northern Ont. storm hammer shoreline, breaking dock
The owner of a northern Ont. camp is continuing to clean up after an intense storm that prompted a tornado warning Thursday ripped through the area breaking his dock and downing trees.
'All hands on deck situation': City of Calgary declares state of local emergency over water main break
The City of Calgary declared a local state of emergency Saturday morning in response to the latest developments in a major water main break that is impacting the city.
BREAKING A 'brazen daylight shooting': 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in Scarborough during fight, say police
Toronto police are appealing for witnesses and information as they deploy a “significant amount of resources” into the investigation of the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy in Scarborough on Saturday afternoon.
Trudeau calls into question findings of stunning watchdog foreign interference report
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has concerns with how conclusions were gathered in a spy watchdog report.
U.K. royals unite on palace balcony as Princess of Wales returns to public view after cancer diagnosis
London put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for King Charles III, a military parade that marked the Princess of Wales ' first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis early this year.
Local Spotlight
Moncton bakery owner celebrates 35 years with 220-foot flatbread
Fancy Pokket owner Mike Timani has decided to create a 220-foot long flat bread to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
'Too much warming': Polar bears in Hudson Bay could go extinct by 2030s if global temperatures continue to increase
If certain goals that are in the Paris Climate Accord aren't met, the existence of polar bears in the Hudson Bay may come to an end.
Swift Current offers to temporarily rename itself if Taylor Swift returns to Sask.
In an attempt to invite one of the most popular recording artists in the world to the land of living skies – the City of Swift Current has offered to rename itself in honour of Taylor Swift.
Adult dogs, puppies arrive in Moncton from Manitoba in search of forever homes
More than a dozen dogs arrived by Cargojet early Thursday morning to the People for Animal Wellbeing Shelter to find a permanent place to call home in New Brunswick.
Video captures whale breaching off Peggy's Cove, N.S.
Peggy's Cove, N.S., is one of the most famous locations in the Maritimes. Recent visitors were treated to more than just the iconic landmark.
Hundreds of fans line up to meet the Trailer Park Boys at promotional event
Hundreds of fans lined up to meet the Trailer Park Boys in Dartmouth, N.S., Tuesday, as Ricky, Bubbles and Julian promoted their new brand of potato chips.
'Nothing a little duct tape won't fix': Bear breaks into northern Ont. woman's car, destroys interior before taking nap
Car break-ins plague Canadians across the country, but instead of worrying about theft, a northern Ontario woman is cleaning up a big mess that she says will not be covered by insurance after a black bear broke into her Honda Civic and took a nap.
Albertans attempt to build the world’s tallest Popsicle stick structure
Members of a Hutterite colony in southern Alberta have potentially built the world's tallest structure made of Popsicle sticks.
After 300 days in a B.C. shelter, this dog finally found his forever home
A dog who spent the first three-and-a-half years of his life suffering and almost a year at a shelter has found his forever home, according to the BC SPCA.