Canada provides $272 million in aid to Bangladesh as U.S. Agency for International Development shuts down
Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen invested $272.1 million in new funding on Sunday in foreign aid projects in Bangladesh and the Indo-Pacific.
“Canada continues to strengthen its long-standing human-to-human connections with Bangladesh and the wider Indo-Pacific region, strengthening our lasting friendship with Bangladesh and the wider Indo-Pacific region,” Housen said in a statement. “By supporting health care services in vulnerable communities, empowering women and addressing climate change, we create a more obvious tomorrow for communities around the world.”
The money will be spent along with donations from other foreign partners and donors and will provide new funding for 14 different projects in Bangladesh and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
The move by the federal Liberal government underscores a very different approach to Canada’s foreign development aid, which stopped funding through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Trump and his new government efficiency czar, businessman Elon Musk, freeze 90 days of foreign aid after he took power, shut down aid programs around the world, and sparked thousands of employees in the government and its contractors.
Trump and his Republican appointees viewed foreign aid programs as a waste of taxpayers’ money, believing they support the liberal political agenda. Their critics say the spending prompts Americans to stand in the world and offsets foreign intervention in other countries.
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Foreign aid workers and supporters in the United States challenged Trump’s move in court, saying the president effectively removed a federal agency authorized by the U.S. Congress, beyond his legal and constitutional authority.
For backgrounds in Canada’s global affairs, detailed information about different multi-year projects in Canada can be found.
Canada is supporting projects focusing on gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls, and improving access to all-inclusive education and skills training.
Other projects aim to help communities increase resilience to climate change, promote civic participation and reduce poverty.
One project was described as “empowering women in the nursing sector.” The government said it includes $6.3 million in funding boost from Canada's Cowater International over three years.
Hessian and British Columbia parliamentarians personally announced Canadian government aid at a Vancouver event attended by Bangladesh community leaders, just weeks before the Liberal government can hold spring elections with new leaders.
The federal government estimates that the Canadian community in Bangladesh now includes more than 100,000 people.
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