Canada to lift UNRWA funding freeze, calls humanitarian situation in Gaza 'catastrophic'

Canada is resuming funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and will help support the airdrop of Canadian-funded supplies into Gaza.

Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced the decision Friday afternoon, stating it was taken in part so that more can be urgently done to respond to the "dire" needs of Palestinian civilians.

Canada and other allies had paused funding amid allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in the Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

According to Hussen, while the final report of the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) isn't final, Canada has reviewed the interim report of the investigation and is assured by its contents, adding that UNRWA has taken measures to strengthen oversight, accountability and transparency.

"Canada will work with fellow donors, the UN and UNRWA to ensure that the recommendations stemming from both the OIOS investigation and the independent review are fully implemented," reads a statement from Hussen's office that accompanied the minister's announcement.

No regularly scheduled payment was missed during the temporary pause that began in January, and the Canadian government is set to send $25 million to the agency in April. Hussen said this is to help prevent the collapse of the organization, which he described as "the backbone of the humanitarian response" in the region.

"I was in Rafah just two weeks ago … where I met courageous Canadian humanitarian workers who were doing everything that they can to save lives in Gaza. I saw hundreds of trucks filled with life-saving supplies, stuck at the border waiting to enter," Hussen said, speaking to media in Toronto.

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Noting that any bit of assistance is essential, Hussen said Canada would support the government of Jordan and the World Food Programme, which are conducting airdrops into Gaza to deliver desperately needed supplies.

The government is providing $100,000 in funding to purchase supplies of food, blankets and winter clothing.

The Canadian military will also provide the Royal Jordanian Air Force with an estimated 300 cargo parachutes from the Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre in Trenton, Ont., to assist in conducting the airdrops.

The minister said these parachutes will enable the delivery of 75 tonnes of food, medicine, clothing and hygiene products to help address what the government has called a "catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza that is worsening by the hour."

Hussen noted that Canada is the first G7 country to resume UNRWA funding.

In an interview on CTV News Channel's Power Play on Friday with Mike Le Couteur, Canada's UN Representative Bob Rae was asked what he saw that convinced him a funding resumption was required.

Rae said it was both the "appalling" humanitarian situation, and the fact that the government felt it couldn't "afford to wait for the length of time that it's taking" for the Israeli government to share information related to the UNRWA probe.

He described the information coming from Israel as "dribs and drabs," and noted that Israel has not yet met with the investigating team.

"So frankly, we have to move," Rae said. "We can't allow all of that investigatory work to get in the way of a humanitarian need… I think it strikes the right balance. I think it's taking everybody's views into account, but it's also giving the priority to people and, in particular, to the most needy and most desperate people."

Rae also told CTV News that the ongoing political pressure and protests in Canada directed at federal politicians' handling of the Israel-Gaza war did "not at all" factor into the government's decision in this case.

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) said in a statement that it is relieved Canada is resuming funding, citing "widespread pushback from civil society."

However, CJPME also voiced caution about the airdrop plans, citing reports that five people were killed in Gaza after an aid package parachute malfunctioned. 

Earlier this week, amid reporting that Canada's future UNRWA funding was in limbo, NDP MP Heather McPherson accused the Liberals of waffling as people were dying, while Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman called Friday's decision "vile."