Canadian foreign aid must be used efficiently, be transparent: minister

Randeep Sarai said Canadians should know how their aid dollars work to, for example, flood-proof areas prone to natural disasters or provide farmers with climate-resilient crops.

The MP overseeing foreign aid says Canada must take a more efficient, more visible approach to development and humanitarian assistance to make the case for maintaining aid spending as the United States pulls back.

“Those that are staying the course need to be more nimble and need to be more versatile,” said Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, in his first major interview since taking on the role.

Sarai said his top priorities in the job are to ensure Canadian aid dollars are being spent efficiently and to give Canadians and aid recipients a better idea of where the money goes.

“It doesn’t mean that a sack of grain needs to have a Maple Leaf on it,” he said. While branding can play a role, Sarai said, the government can also spread its message through social media, outreach campaigns in recipient countries and possibly through provincial government-approved textbooks.

“Canadians would be happier, and I think those recipients would have a better value and respect and admiration for Canada and its aid,” he said. “So that’s definitely a priority.”

Sarai said Canadians should know how their aid dollars work to, for example, flood-proof areas prone to natural disasters or provide farmers with climate-resilient crops.

“A potato seed that comes from Prince Edward Island to a remote part of the Philippines can take a family from barely sustaining themselves to being able to not only feed themselves but also put their children through education,” he said.

Sarai worked as a lawyer in Surrey, B.C. before running for federal office in the 2015 election, when the Liberals under Justin Trudeau won a majority government. He became parliamentary secretary for veterans affairs in fall 2023.