OTTAWA, 7 April 2022 – Today, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland released Canada’s 2022 federal budget with details about international development. Danny Glenwright, Save the Children Canada’s President and CEO, had the following response:
“We are encouraged today to see an increase to international assistance in the 2022 Federal Budget. As a children’s rights organization we have seen firsthand how the combination of COVID-19 Pandemic, climate change and conflict has resulted in alarming setbacks in progress for children around the world.
Going into 2022 humanitarian needs were at an all time high. The conflict in Ukraine put millions more people, including children, in need of assistance. Today’s announcement puts Canada on the right path towards increasing its international assistance to levels more reflective of our peers and what’s needed to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
We hope the announcement that Prime Minister will co-chair the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocates group to accelerate progress on achieving the SDGs is a signal of more ambitious commitments to come.
We are extremely pleased to see the Canadian government’s commitment to amend the Income Tax Act, implementing the spirit of Bill S-216, the Effective and Accountable Charities Act. This will allow Canadian organizations to build stronger and more equitable partnerships with local organizations. This shift puts Canada’s approach more in line with its Feminist International Assistance Policy and the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals.
International assistance is an important tool to meet the urgent needs of people in times of war or natural disasters but it is also a building block to create more prosperous, stable and resilient societies in the longer term.
The massive response that Canadians showed to those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine is a demonstration of the fact that Canadians care about the well-being of those beyond our borders. We need our international assistance to reflect the same levels of caring and today’s increase puts Canada on the right track.”
END
Media Contact
For additional information please contact Tiffany Baggetta , Head of Communications, Media and PR:
About Save the Children
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In Canada and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.