Foreign Affairs Committee on Nov. 27th, 2025

[Matt Strauss, Conservative, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

Thank you. I have limited time, so I'll take your answer to be that multigender occupancy at ski soldier schools is going to help Canadians pay for their rent somehow. I wonder, then, when these accommodations will be available for the ski soldiers in Lebanon.

[Leslie Norton]

We'll have to get back to you with that information.

[Matt Strauss, Conservative, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

It would be fantastic if you could please table that in writing with us. If you're tabling some things in writing, I'd also be interested to know how many spaces are going to be made at the ski soldier school.

I'm interested in the language, because reading further into the grant, it says it is multigender occupancy, but then it talks about integrating women. I take it that men and women will be at the ski soldier school.

When Global Affairs Canada gives money for multigender occupancy, are any genders other than men and women going to be accommodated?

[Shirley Carruthers]

I'm not aware.

[Matt Strauss, Conservative, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

If you could table that as well, I would be interested in it.

In your experience at your department, are grants like this under any sort of political direction?

[Shirley Carruthers]

Before the beginning of every fiscal year, the department goes to the minister to seek strategic direction on where we're going to allocate our resources. Going to the political level for every single grant, I'll say, is not required, depending on the dollar value. We have certain thresholds and authorities. We have different levels for different types of instruments that we need to go and seek authority for.

For example, in these estimates, you would see large amounts for our climate finance projects. Those projects are over $100 million each. Those require us not only to go directly to the minister to sign off, but also to go to the Treasury Board Secretariat. Projects under $5 million would be under the authority of an assistant deputy minister.

[Matt Strauss, Conservative, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

I see.

Over the last year, would you say there's been any change in policy or political direction, or can Canadian taxpayers, like the people in Kitchener who are having trouble affording groceries, look forward to seeing similar grants like this going out this fiscal year?

[Shirley Carruthers]

Since the new government's been formed, the department has been looking at its foreign policy, as well as its international assistance policy. In terms of specific projects, I couldn't really specify.

I don't know, Catherine, if you have anything to add.

[Catherine Jobin]

I think if the question is just about this year in particular—

[Matt Strauss, Conservative, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

I'm just asking if there has been any other major policy direction change that would apply to grants like this that would cause grants of this nature to be more or less likely to be disbursed in this fiscal year compared to last.

[Catherine Jobin]

I think we'd have to get back to you about the specific programs or initiatives that this grant would have been granted under to—

[Matt Strauss, Conservative, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

Thank you very much. I'll look forward to that documentation.

[The Acting Chair, Liberal, Anita Vandenbeld]

Thank you very much.

Now we will go to Mr. Oliphant for five minutes.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to our guests today, our witnesses from Global Affairs.

It's been a really challenging time for you folks as you've been managing cost-cutting. It has been a huge issue to try to maintain the work of Canada in the world while facing the realities of all Canadians who are worried about their financial well-being. Thank you for your diligence in doing it.

I want to follow up on the last question. The voters in my riding might be quite different because they're actually concerned about security around the world—insecurity anywhere affecting security everywhere. There's a new regime in Syria after a coup. There's political instability in Lebanon, which has gone on for many years. I would say that support of military operations, particularly in a mountainous country, that are going to be staffed by women and men would be an important value that the Canadians in my riding and the residents in my riding would care about.

With regard to the security in the Middle East, the Middle East strategy came to an end. Is it continuing to be an object of concern and care that we will continue to invest in through our development side, our trade side or our diplomatic side?

[Shirley Carruthers]

Yes, the Middle East strategy did come to an end in March 2025. Under that strategy, we did invest $4.75 billion to respond to the crisis in the region between 2016 and 2025, of which $2.96 billion was disbursed by Global Affairs Canada. I believe the remainder was through DND.

Through the strategy, we promoted stability and prosperity through international assistance, as well as diplomatic engagement, at a time when the biggest threat in the region was the rise of ISIS. Any new policy on the Middle East strategy will be oriented to Canada's global and economic priorities, while reinforcing Canada's commitment to peace and stability in the region.

We do continue to have programs in the region. For example, if we think about Sudan, we have issued $44 million in humanitarian aid, development and peace and security over the last number of years, and we will continue to provide funding in that area.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

While we can't claim full victory or success in the Middle East, we do have what appears to be a new, stable government in Syria. We appear to have controlled extremist elements, and we have a government in Lebanon that is forging ahead. I think that is an investment Canadians are proud of. We have many Canadians who are very concerned about this, so thank you for that work.

Switching gears, I'd like to talk about cultural diplomacy. It may not surprise some in the room that I would care about this.

In budget 2025, we talk about protecting Canadian culture, values and identity, but when we protect it, can we also promote it? Is there a way that we can find in this budget, in our supplementary estimates particularly, avenues through which Canadian identity is promoted throughout the world, which would, I believe, lead to greater trade, greater understanding and greater people-to-people ties through the brilliant artists, musicians, visual artists, sculptors, filmmakers and others who may be able to be promoted in the world?

[Shirley Carruthers]

I'm going to turn to my colleague, Catherine Jobin, who can provide an answer.

[Catherine Jobin]

Historically there have been different approaches to how we engage in cultural diplomacy as part of Canada's diplomatic activities. Certainly, it's very core to the work that our diplomats and our missions abroad do every day. They are posted with an understanding and a mission to exemplify Canadian culture.

There are also some funds that are available to our missions abroad to undertake initiatives, the post initiative fund in particular, that would allow them to expand the reach.

I would say that, yes, it's very much part of the mandate, and it's very much part of what our colleagues who are in our network of missions abroad do every day.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Am I right in saying that it may not all be cash transfers, but that it may be diplomatic activity in those countries to help artists show their work, or for an opera company like Opera Atelier going to Paris, or for other things that I think people in my riding would care about?

Can I understand that it's not always cash transfers, but also dedicated staff to help those groups do their work? Yes would be okay.

[Catherine Jobin]

It would depend, I would say, on the circumstances. What I was talking about in the answer I provided the committee were the general activities of our diplomats abroad, not specific programs that serve to fund certain activities.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

That's it. Thanks very much.

[The Acting Chair, Liberal, Anita Vandenbeld]

Thank you very much.

Now we go to Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.

You have the floor for two and a half minutes.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Since 2017, Canada's international assistance policy has been guided by feminism. That was Mr. Trudeau's idea, and it is what he put in place. The Bloc Québécois has always supported this way of doing things.

Recently, following a statement by Mr. Carney, we realized that this is no longer the case. He clearly said that Canada's international development assistance policy is no longer feminist.

Why do you think that is?

[Shirley Carruthers]

What I would say is that feminism will always be a core value of Canadians and something that is a long-standing commitment for us. I would turn to my colleague, Catherine Jobin, who can add a bit more detail. You would have heard the minister speak a bit about this, and I know that she also spoke about it this morning at a separate committee.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I realize that my question was of a political nature.

Ms. Jobin, have you looked at the tangible results of this policy on the ground?

Can you tell us if it worked and to what extent?

What are the results of this type of international development policy?