Budget 2026 must stop foreign aid cuts, says reader
Sept. 5 was the International Day of Charity, a day established by the United Nations to encourage people around the world to give. To me, charity is about recognizing that someone else’s hardship should matter to us, even when it happens beyond our own borders.
As an immigrant from Hong Kong, I grew up experiencing that kind of generosity. When I moved from Hong Kong to Vancouver, B.C., as a child, my classmates welcomed me with open arms. They introduced me to poutine and took me to Granville Island, all while making me feel comfortable in the city they called home. And when I returned to Hong Kong, family and friends would take me out for dim sum and bring me to my favourite local restaurants, and proudly show me the places they loved. In both places, people made room for me. They did not stop to ask whether I was “one of them” before offering kindness. If children can cross borders so naturally, why can’t our global leaders?
Right now, more than 800 million people live in extreme poverty worldwide. Yet, G7 nations are on track to slash international aid by 28 per cent in 2026. Instead of stepping up, the Canadian government announced its own $2.7-billion cut to foreign assistance over four years. This retreat puts decades of proven progress in harm’s way.
Since 2000, international aid has helped reduce child mortality by half and lifted over one billion people out of extreme poverty. Canada’s contributions have delivered tangible results, including a $76.2-million investment in family planning that reached 4.7 million women and prevented 1.6 million unintended pregnancies in 2023-24 alone.
Continuing these global cuts could lead to 22.6 million preventable deaths by 2030.
Foreign aid represents just 32 cents of every $100 of Canada’s national wealth, yet it yields immense returns for global and domestic stability.
As the federal government prepares the 2026 budget, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and our local MPs must stop foreign aid cuts and reinvest in a safer and healthier world, because giving should never stop at the border.
Bernice Ko
Vancouver, B.C.