Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 28th, 2025

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

I call it our secret weapon. I think the IDRC is one of Canada's best investments. It does amazing work, like creating climate-resilient potatoes in the Philippines, which is not only increasing the yields but also putting people through school. Families that otherwise couldn't even afford to feed themselves are now getting larger yields because of the work that IDRC has done in agriculture.

It will continue to maintain the support that is necessary. It is one of Canada's paramount institutes.

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

My time is done.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Yes, it just about is.

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

It flies when you're having fun.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you.

We'll start the last round. It's a lightning round. We will have three members with three minutes each, beginning with MP Kronis.

You have three minutes.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Thank you so much for being here today.

You spoke about a realignment towards mutually beneficial programs so there's a return on investment—in your words, a “bang for our buck”—and about things like investing in programs for rice in Vietnam leading to lower prices for rice here in Canada.

How do you measure that?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

When it comes to international development, those measurables are long term, so these are ways we support a nation we have good ties with or we want to potentially have better a relationship with. Vietnam is one of the areas in the Indo-Pacific that we want to improve ties with. It's a large trading partner for Canada, and it's an emerging market that is going to be increasing as a trading partner.

This is the soft diplomacy we use. If we're able to help develop their agriculture processes, their education and their women's and girls' programs, the relationship to support a strong supply of agriculture products going both ways improves.

We've seen the increase in our trade with Vietnam in the particular program you asked about—

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Thanks for that, but you did speak about ROI. You spoke about a “bang for our buck”, and I'm wondering what that looks like structurally.

Do you have people doing regression analysis? Is there a place Canadians can go to see how these things impact our prices, or is it really just something where we are hoping and we have good feelings about it? Is this a vibes program, or is there actual data that Canadians can look to and see the return that you're talking about?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Absolutely. I think the data will be that you'll see trade relationships and the trading back and forth increase. You'll see an increase in Canadian development—

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

How and where will we see that increase?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

You're more than welcome to see it. I think Canada has trade relationships with those countries. You're more than welcome to see those. I think you'll see a steady increase in terms of where we've given development dollars. Where it hasn't been effective, we're able to—

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

We have a limited amount of time in this lightning round. I want to ask you one more question.

You talked about getting private capital to contribute more, and you talked about a $391-million fund. You talked about The Rockefeller Foundation, and I also noticed you included BlackRock in that list.

Can you say how much of that $391-million Canadian government fund will go to for-profit corporations to increase this vibey, feelings way of international development?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Give a brief response.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

It's not a vibey, feelings way; it's to support the banks. None of that money goes to private companies. It goes to our international development banks, like the African Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

And BlackRock.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

No, BlackRock would contribute to a program. They haven't yet. They're keen to see how they can participate.

Say there's a port being done that's being funded by the Caribbean Development Bank. Canada will contribute the structure of that financing, and private capital is able to contribute to the loan program that the African Development Bank or the Caribbean Development Bank would make to that port.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you very much.

Next, we have MP Bill Blair.

You have three minutes.

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Welcome, Secretary. It's very good to see you here. I'm very familiar with all of the work that you have been doing as a member of Parliament and in your community for many years. I think it uniquely positions you to be successful in your current role.

I would like to talk about this new priority that you're advancing about mutual economic prosperity and trade facilitation. For many years, our approach has not been as transactional as, perhaps, that of China or the United States or other countries.

Looking at how our significant contributions to international development can facilitate trade is something worthwhile. For example, last year there was nearly $2 billion in loans to Ukraine to stabilize their economy. We see right now that the Prime Minister is in Southeast Asia for conversations with ASEAN and others.

Can you share your thoughts on how we might facilitate our significant contributions to humanitarian aid and how we could also facilitate improved trade relationships with those developing countries?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Sure. I think there are many ways. I'll give you simple examples that I saw first-hand. Take a coffee-growing region in Ethiopia or another country from which Canadians buy coffee. If we are able to assist farmers to increase their yields by stumping or pruning—they call it stumping there—we give assistance by helping them with water wells, solar-powered wells, etc., and we help the women and girls in that region, then we maintain, for our coffee companies, a safe, sustainable and resilient supply chain going forward, so they don't have to worry about instability in those regions. When they choose which countries to supply their coffee to, they're going to be more keen on supplying to those that are like Canada, because Canada has assisted them in that regard.

Another example would be my going to Tanzania. Barrick Mining is the largest taxpayer in the country of Tanzania. If we are to put development in a region where that extraction and mining work is being done, Barrick or other resource sectors also contribute to that development, because they will want the best. If we're going to do vocational training for women and girls in, say, heavy equipment operating, they get a steady supply of great workers who will work on their plants, instead of having to import them or bring them from somewhere else. This is the type of stuff where we can coordinate development.

Similarly, last I would say infrastructure. Many Canadian companies are great infrastructure development arms around the globe. If we can do some of the pre-work in terms of the research on say, a train, a subway line or a highway corridor to help facilitate supply chains or the movement of people, when our bids go in for that infrastructure to build a subway, highway or rail car, we have the upper hand. We have a better ability to navigate that market.

These are the types of ways that I'm trying to help facilitate our trade through the development work that we do.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you very much.

Next, we have MP Brunelle-Duceppe.

You have three minutes.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Secretary of State, we are all in favour of inclusion and diversity, and we agree that the money used to fund international aid when you participate in programs comes from Quebeckers and Canadians.

Recently, a program called “Gender-Sensitive Mine Action for a Sustainable Future in Ukraine” was created, which also included “the creation of a working group on gender equality and diversity to promote gender-transformative mine action in Ukraine.” That is probably the most Justin Trudeau program ever created.

I would like someone to explain what a gender-sensitive demining activity is.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

I know the Bloc has a very passionate commitment to gender equality, and I'm glad you asked me that question.

Without the particulars of that program, I've met with some of these anti-mining, demining corporations, NGOs, that have been working. They've found that women who engage in this get more empowered and are much more effective at demining in that respect. If we're able to train and empower women into fields they otherwise are not, that is better.

I don't know if you're talking about anti-mine or demining in terms of bomb demining, or if you're talking about mining in terms of the mineral extraction world. In that regard as well, it becomes a singular, male employment sector only if we cannot empower women—

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

Mr. Secretary of State, shouldn't the goal of demining a field be limited to just that? What we want is for people not to die. I don't see how a gender-specific criterion can improve a program funded by our taxes. I think Ukrainian men and women simply want to prevent people from being blown up when they step on a mine.

I just want to draw your attention to this type of program. Will you continue to implement such programs in your new role, or will the department's vision change somewhat?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

We have to remember that, in Ukraine in particular, the men are at war. There's a big lack of men to do a lot of these jobs. If we can get the women who are there to have those skills.... In this regard, I have met the organizations doing that work. They have said that women have done a better job at demining; their natural, intrinsic nature to demine is much more effective. They also are much better when they come home. They are respected by their peers, so it's doing two things at one time. I think it's demining; it's getting more people in the field of demining, which, otherwise, they would not have. If it also helps improve their gender equality and employment equality in their area, I think it's a win-win situation.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you very much.

Thank you for your appearance today before the committee, Minister, and thank you to the officials as well. This concludes the first half of our meeting. Therefore, the meeting is suspended.