Government expects fewer questions on foreign aid from weakened NDP: briefing note

OTTAWA – A Global Affairs Canada briefing note suggests the department expects fewer questions in the House of Commons about possible cuts to foreign aid because of the much-reduced NDP caucus.

“A decision to sunset existing programs and exercise greater flexibility and prudence in development spending will likely result in some parliamentary attention,” reads a June briefing note from GAC released under access-to-information law.

The briefing note shows the department sought to stop accepting applications for foreign aid programs prioritized by the Trudeau government, while ensuring that projects already underway were able to complete their work.

That’s a typical move for an incoming government as it pivots to new spending priorities. The briefing note says the department anticipated that a “new policy direction will introduce new priorities, and necessitate a shift in current programming and funding to align with emerging needs.”

Given the possibility of cuts — and the fact that peer countries like the U.S. and Germany are pulling back from foreign aid — the department expected foreign aid questions from the media and MPs, the note says.

But Randeep Sarai, the secretary of state for international development, should only expect such detailed questions in writing, the note adds.

“Given the NDP does not have official party status, any requests for spending breakdowns would likely come through order-paper questions,” the briefing note suggested.

The briefing note seems to suggest the NDP — which dropped from 24 to just seven seats in the April election — raised foreign aid more frequently than other parties during question period, where the New Democrats now get a maximum of seven questions per week.

The note suggests that GAC “defer consideration of other new projects until government policy direction for development assistance is clarified” in the budget being tabled Tuesday.

The briefing note suggests Ottawa should be able to fund programs that already received money through the Feminist International Assistance Policy and the Indo-Pacific strategy, along with programs set to expire on climate finance, biodiversity and home care.

But it adds the department “expects challenges in achieving other goals,” such as directing half of bilateral aid spending — money that isn’t channelled through United Nations agencies — to sub-Saharan Africa, “and broader efforts in global health and sexual and reproductive health and rights, given limited budget flexibility.”

The note says doing so could make it hard to realign spending with the “emerging priorities” of the new government.

Still, the department notes that organizations that are “heavily reliant on uninterrupted GAC funding” are not likely to close because they already have multi-year funding allocated.

“The department will monitor the situation closely,” the briefing note says.

The department also says in the note it would be careful about its public communications on the Feminist International Assistance Policy “to avoid using a narrative that could create funding expectations or imply future commitments.”

In testimony last week before the House foreign affairs committee, Sarai said the budget would reveal the government’s priorities in development but confirmed the Carney government is sticking with the feminist aid policy.

Sarai said the feminist policy makes economic sense as it boosts the participation of women in global labour markets and includes “a very firm commitment” to sexual and reproductive health supports.

“It’s not just the right thing to do. It’s a smart thing to do,” he said on Oct. 28.

Conservative MPs challenged Sarai to state whether foreign aid is delivering tangible economic benefits for Canadians and how those benefits are measured.

Sarai said aid often results in more trade access and discourages irregular migration. Tory MPs said those effects should be captured in data and presented to Parliament.

“Is this a vibes program, or is there actual data that Canadians can look to, to be able to see the return that you’re talking about?” Conservative MP Tamara Kronis asked Sarai.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2025.