Canada Budget Omits Foreign Aid for First Time in 15 Years

Canada’s aid sector is voicing dismay after the federal budget made no mention of foreign aid or international development. According to The Canadian Press, it is the first federal budget in more than 15 years to omit the subject.

Key facts

• The federal budget tabled Thursday by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government made no mention of international assistance, foreign aid or international development, despite the fact The Canadian Press found references to those terms in each budget reviewed since 2010.
• The budget mentions Ukraine only in reference to drone production and mentions aid workers only in passing as part of an existing permit program for aid organizations operating in areas controlled by entities Ottawa lists as terrorist groups.
• Co-operation Canada head Kate Higgins said the budget was largely silent on international development co-operation and humanitarian action and called it the wrong approach.
• Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the foreign policy update will come in a matter of weeks and will include Ottawa’s approach on development, saying development assistance is a priority for Global Affairs Canada.

The Canadian Press reported that the budget was tabled Thursday by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government. It found references to foreign aid and international development in every federal budget it reviewed since 2010.

Budget omissions and aid-sector response

The document mentions Ukraine only in relation to drone production, The Canadian Press reported. Aid workers receive a passing reference through an existing permit program for organizations operating in areas controlled by entities Ottawa lists as terrorist groups.

For advocates, the absence was conspicuous.

“The budget is largely silent on issues of international development co-operation and humanitarian action,” said Kate Higgins, head of Co-operation Canada. She called that “the wrong approach” at a moment when global stakes are high.

Results Canada policy director Lindsay Sheridan said her team repeatedly searched the budget for terms connected to the sector.

“And then continuously nothing came up. There was nothing on famines, either. And so, we were just surprised,” Sheridan said.

Relief over no new cuts

Aid advocates told The Canadian Press they were relieved the budget did not announce further reductions, while assuming Ottawa will proceed with its previously announced plan to cut $2.7 billion in foreign aid over four years.

Higgins argued that development funding is tied to priorities Ottawa is pursuing elsewhere.

“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.

Foreign policy update and development assistance

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said a foreign-policy update is due “in a matter of weeks” and will include Ottawa’s approach to development. She said development assistance remains a priority for Global Affairs Canada.

UNICEF Canada said Ottawa should at least acknowledge international development when discussing its response to global threats and volatility. The organization said international assistance helps children survive and thrive while supporting the health, education and protection systems needed for peaceful, stable societies.

The ONE Campaign, meanwhile, is urging Ottawa to commit to $5.5 billion in annual development spending. According to The Canadian Press, the group also wants Canada’s development, trade and investment institutions aligned around co-ordinated partnerships with African countries.

What we don't know yet

• Ottawa has not yet provided details of its approach on development, which the foreign affairs minister said would be included in a foreign policy update expected in a matter of weeks.

How outlets covered it

• Global News (Corus Entertainment) — “Aid sector calls out omission of foreign aid in federal budget - National”, Nov. 7, 2026. Led with aid-sector dismay over the budget’s omission of foreign aid. Quoted Co-operation Canada head Kate Higgins; Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand; United Nations’ global head of humanitarian issues, Tom Fletcher; Results Canada policy director Lindsay Sheridan.
• The Canadian Press (carried by CP24 and Brandon Sun) — “Federal budget is ‘silent’ on foreign assistance: aid sector”, Nov. 7, 2026. Led with aid-sector dismay over the budget’s omission of foreign aid. Quoted Co-operation Canada head Kate Higgins; Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand; United Nations’ global head of humanitarian issues, Tom Fletcher; Results Canada policy director Lindsay Sheridan. Not in the other reports here: the report’s first-publication date.

How we sourced this story

How we put this together: we compare reporting from the outlets above, draft with the help of AI tools, and an editor checks every story before it's published. Our methodology.