Canada’s 2025 federal election: What’s at stake for global aid and development

Canadians head to polling stations on April 28 to vote in a new government.

The elections take place against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs against Canada and his initial rhetoric of annexing the country for its natural resources. High grocery costs and housing shortages are as much an issue as Canada’s place in the world. 

In that context, what’s the immediate future of Canada’s commitment to global aid and development? What should be the new government’s priorities and why?

Andy Harrington, executive director of Canada Foodgrains Bank, and Philippe Dongier, executive director of the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation, offer their thoughts on these questions. 

The answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q: What are the most pressing global development and humanitarian challenges Canada’s next government will face?  

Harrington: One of the most urgent concerns is the rising global needs and shrinking resources. More than 750 million people globally suffer from hunger, with conflict and climate change as the primary causes. 

Additionally, significant aid cuts by the United States and other donor countries are expected to reduce global aid by about one-third in 2025. This will combine with new strains on the global economy due to the imposition of tariffs, causing further economic disruption, leading to even greater stress for the most vulnerable. 

Maintaining the importance of development and humanitarian work in Canada’s foreign policy will be critical for the next government, especially as some advocate for increasing defence spending at the expense of other priorities. 

Canada’s government will need to navigate these competing pressures while continuing its commitment to the 3Ds (development, diplomacy, and defence) plus trade.

Dongier: Canada’s next government will need to address a rapidly evolving global landscape shaped by intersecting crises. 

First, growing displacement and migration—both within countries and across borders—will remain a critical global challenge. Armed conflict continues to be the leading driver, often compounded by climate disruptions and deepening poverty. 

These crises force millions to flee their homes for safety and opportunity. Displacement increases the risk of violence against women and creates urgent needs for protection, shelter, food, and essential services, particularly for women, girls, and marginalized communities.

Canada must ensure sustained support to help open sustainable economic opportunities locally and regionally. Such support addresses the needs of migrant populations, contributes to regional stability, and promotes more organized pathways for migration, benefiting both countries of origin and destination, including Canada. 

Second, worsening climate change and biodiversity crises put the poorest communities at the most risk. Climate change increases food prices and limits economic development prospects. Rapid deforestation and biodiversity loss, caused by population growth, hurt the poorest communities because their livelihoods tend to rely on natural resources directly. 

Canada must continue to support nature-based solutions and economic models that conserve and restore natural capital.  

Such support directly improves the lives of vulnerable people and provides global benefits (including for Canada) by increasing carbon sequestration, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating more resilient ecosystems. 

Finally, we are witnessing a disturbing global rollback on gender equality and human rights. Anti-gender rhetoric and restrictive policies are threatening decades of progress, including access to essential services like education, health care, and legal protections. 

Canada’s next government must continue to support inclusive, rights-based development and back the movements and institutions working to safeguard and expand these fundamental rights. 

What are 2-3 concrete actions the new government should take to strengthen Canada’s impact in global development?  

Harrington: To strengthen Canada’s impact in global development, the new government should prioritize three key actions.

First, the government should maintain a compassionate, humane, values-led approach to foreign aid that accentuates Canada’s global leadership in international development and humanitarian assistance. We must continue working alongside partners to stabilize fragile regions while helping vulnerable communities build resilience. This is an investment in global wellbeing and Canada’s own security and prosperity.

Second, the government should swiftly implement the Africa Strategy, which was announced early in 2025 after two years of consultation. This strategy recognizes the mutual benefits for Canada and Africa, including the vital role of the African diaspora in Canada. However, significant resources are required to be truly effective.

Finally, the government must prioritize climate action by advancing a comprehensive climate finance package. Despite the outgoing government’s wide consultations and the development of such a package, it was stalled due to prorogation. The new government needs to signal to the world that Canada is committed to addressing climate change and playing a leadership role in global climate finance, recognizing its role in the fight against hunger and poverty worldwide.

Dongier: First, position international aid as a strategic investment. Canada should embrace international development as a moral imperative and a strategic lever for global influence and national interest. 

Smart, targeted investments in development cooperation strengthen Canada’s role as a credible, values-driven actor on the world stage. Development initiatives reinforce soft diplomacy, influence and market opportunities with some of the world’s fastest-growing populations and economies, and help build a more stable, prosperous, and inclusive global environment in which Canada also thrives. 

Second, rather than reacting to crises after they emerge, Canada should champion a long-term, preventive strategy that addresses the root causes of conflict and instability. Conflict is the leading cause of extreme poverty and uncontrolled population displacement and migration. This requires investing in democratic governance, inclusive economic systems, climate resilience and gender equality.  

How can Canada balance domestic priorities with its commitments to global development? 

 Harrington: Canada should recognize that our investments help prevent crises before they reach our borders and that our prosperity here at home depends upon strong relationships with the rest of the world, as two-thirds of the Canadian economy is based on international trade. 

Supporting global development through aid fosters peace, stability, and prosperity globally and creates a favourable environment for Canada to thrive. 

Canada’s aid for humanitarian and development currently represents about 35 cents for every $100 of our economy, which is below the average of other aid donors. 

Reducing this already modest level of aid would risk diminishing Canada’s international soft power, undermining our ability to influence and contribute to global development while still pursuing our domestic priorities.

Dongier: Canada can better balance its domestic priorities with its commitments to global development by not viewing domestic and global priorities as entirely separate. 

The challenges we face—from climate change to inequality, public health risks, and migrations—are interconnected and require coordinated solutions. These are not “foreign” problems—they are global challenges that demand collective action. 

When Canada invests in global development, it also invests in a more stable and healthy future for Canadians.

Tell us this made you smarter | Contact us | Report error