Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has pledged to cut “wasteful” funding to “terrorists” and to boost Canada’s military if elected prime minister. Mr. Poilevre stated, “My common-sense plan will cut wasteful foreign aid that goes to dictators, terrorists, and multinational bureaucracies and put that money into reinforcing our military.” He said these words to reporters in Montreal. “Bring our money home,” he added. Canada and several other countries have suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after it was revealed that several of its employees were involved in an attack against Israel.
The Conservative leader also criticized Canada’s involvement in the Beijing-founded Asian Infrastructure Bank and said Canada is currently relying too much on the United States for its defense. He proposed cutting bureaucratic spending to boost military funding and eliminating “incompetence and corruption” in defense procurement.
Mr. Poilievre also indicated that under his leadership, a Conservative government would work to meet Canada’s NATO spending commitment of 2 percent of the nation’s GDP. International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen called the Conservative leader’s proposals “shocking” and added that it “will lead to diminishing Canada’s influence on the world stage” and it “will mean that it is a cut against support to most vulnerable people in the world.”
Mr. Hussen responded to questions on Canada’s decision to temporarily stop UNRWA funding, saying, “The Canadian funding to UNRWA, particularly with respect to the Gaza response, is there.” He also commented on the United Nations investigation, stating that future funding for the organization depends on the duration of the investigation.
It was also revealed in the report that in 2021, Canada increased its international assistance spending by 27 percent to $8.4 billion from $6.6 billion in 2020, making up approximately 1.6 percent of the 2021 federal budget spending, as opposed to 1 percent in 2020. Afghanistan was the largest recipient of Canada’s international assistance in 2021, receiving $178 million. The Canadian Press contributed to this report.