Canada gives $272M in aid to Bangladesh, Indo-Pacific as USAID shuttered

Canada’s Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, unveiled $272.1 million in new funding on Sunday for foreign aid projects in Bangladesh and the Indo-Pacific region.

“Canada continues to fiercely strengthen our long-lasting friendship with Bangladesh and the wider Indo-Pacific region with our long-standing people-to-people ties,” Hussen said in a statement. “By supporting vulnerable communities’ healthcare services, empowering women and addressing climate change, we are creating a brighter tomorrow for the global community.”

The money, to be spent alongside contributions from other foreign partners and donors, will provide new funding for 14 different projects in Bangladesh and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

The federal Liberal government’s move highlights a dramatically different Canadian approach to foreign development assistance compared to American Republican President Donald Trump’s government, which halted funding through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Trump and his new government efficiency czar, businessman Elon Musk, froze U.S. foreign aid for 90 days after he took power, shutting down aid programs around the world and triggering furloughs of thousands of employees inside the government and among its contractors.

Trump and his Republican appointees view foreign aid programs as a waste of taxpayers’ money, arguing they support liberal political agendas. Their detractors say such spending boosts American standing in the world, and counters foreign interference by other countries.

American foreign aid workers and supporters have challenged Trump’s moves in court, saying the president exceeded his legal and constitutional authority when he effectively dismantled a federal agency whose spending was authorized by the U.S. Congress.

Details about the different, multi-year projects Canada is funding can be found in this backgrounder from Global Affairs Canada.

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Canada is supporting projects that will focus on gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls, along with improved access to inclusive education and skills training.

Other projects are designed to help communities strengthen their resilience to climate change, boost civic engagement and reduce poverty.

One project was described as “Empowering Women in the Nursing Sector.”  It includes a $6.3 million funding boost over three years to Canadian company Cowater International, the government stated.

The Canadian government aid was personally announced by Hessen and British Columbia Liberal Member of Parliament Parm Bains at a Vancouver event attended by leaders of the Bangladeshi community, just weeks before the Liberal government could call a spring election with a new leader.

The Bangladeshi-Canadian community now includes more than 100,000 people, the federal government estimates.

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