{"id":15341,"date":"2025-02-06T21:10:21","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T21:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/canada-calls-usaid-shutdown-a-dangerous-retreat-for-foreign-aid-national\/"},"modified":"2025-02-06T21:10:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T21:10:21","slug":"canada-calls-usaid-shutdown-a-dangerous-retreat-for-foreign-aid-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/canada-calls-usaid-shutdown-a-dangerous-retreat-for-foreign-aid-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada calls USAID shutdown a \u2018dangerous retreat\u2019 for foreign aid – National"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Canada is \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d about the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to dismantle<\/a> the United States\u2019 lead foreign aid<\/a> agency, federal government officials say amid growing alarm about the impact to global charities and aid programs.<\/p>\n

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The administration said this week it is pulling all employees at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID<\/a>) off the job and out of the field globally by the end of Friday unless they are deemed essential.<\/p>\n

The agency\u2019s website was replaced with that removal notice<\/a> on Monday, its social media accounts are down, and all funding has been frozen as U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> and his allies target what they call wasteful spending by many USAID programs.<\/p>\n

USAID works with several international partners, including Canada, to respond to humanitarian crises and support vulnerable populations worldwide, a spokesperson for International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said in an emailed statement to Global News.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCanada is deeply concerned by the U.S. administration\u2019s decision to shut down USAID,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe loss of USAID\u2019s leadership and resources represents a dangerous retreat that risks decades of progress in fighting inequality, starvation, pandemics, and authoritarianism. This decision will hit hardest for those who depend on aid for food security, health care, and emergency relief.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The U.S. is the world\u2019s largest humanitarian donor by far.<\/p>\n

It spends less than one per cent of its budget on foreign assistance, a smaller share than several European countries. Canada also spends less than one per cent of its GDP on foreign aid.<\/p>\n

USAID funds projects in some 120 countries aimed at fighting epidemics, educating children, providing clean water and supporting other areas of development.<\/p>\n

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But Trump and allies like Elon Musk have also zeroed in on programs the agency funds that promote diversity and inclusion, particularly for LGBTQ2+ people and gender equality.<\/p>\n

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Canada has partnered with USAID on several projects over the past decade, including water management in Peru and humanitarian relief in Gaza and the West Bank. Many of the projects listed in an online partner profile noted gender equality as a \u201csignificant\u201d outcome or goal, in line with Canada\u2019s stated priorities for foreign aid.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cCanada has been clear \u2014 foreign aid is not a handout, it\u2019s an investment in the safety, security, and well-being of Canadians and communities around the world,\u201d the spokesperson for Hussen\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been named the acting director of USAID, has defended the agency\u2019s shutdown and said foreign aid will continue after a \u201cfrom the bottom up\u201d review.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is not about ending foreign aid. It is about structuring it in a way that furthers the national interest of the United States,\u201d Rubio told reporters Wednesday in Guatemala City.<\/p>\n

Democratic lawmakers have protested outside USAID\u2019s shuttered Washington offices this week, calling the actions spearheaded by Musk \u201cillegal\u201d and a \u201ccoup.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tAid community ‘scrambling,’ Canadian charity says\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n