FAAE meeting 16 · 2025-11-27 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development met to study the supplementary estimates (B) for the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (Global Affairs Canada). The witnesses were Shirley Carruthers, Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer; Catherine Jobin, Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy, Policy and Public Affairs; and Leslie Norton, Assistant Deputy Minister, International Assistance Partnerships and Programming.

Shirley Carruthers explained that the supplementary estimates include a request for $847 million in additional authorities, primarily for climate finance programs, reinvestment of real property revenues, and a crisis pool for humanitarian responses. She noted that the department is implementing a $1.12-billion expenditure review, with reductions focused on finding efficiencies and areas of lesser value, and that the $2.7-billion cut to international assistance over four years was determined by minimizing impacts on frontline communities and key partners. She confirmed that consular services will be maintained, though some services will move to an online portal, and that staffing reductions will begin in January 2025, starting with executives.

Catherine Jobin stated that the budget sets a target to double non-U.S. exports to $300 billion annually by the end of the decade, with the new strategic export office supporting government-to-government engagement and private sector deals. She noted that trade diversification is a whole-of-country enterprise and that cultural diplomacy remains part of the mandate of diplomats abroad, supported by funds like the post initiative fund. She also said that the feminist international assistance policy continues to guide Canada’s approach, with results reported in the annual international assistance report, though measuring outcomes in some areas remains challenging.

Leslie Norton described the principles guiding the international assistance cuts, including protecting humanitarian assistance and minimizing impacts on communities and partners. She acknowledged the paradox of cutting funding while UN agencies request more, and noted that reform within the UN is needed. She confirmed that the department works with small civil society centres and organizations, and that support for the Lebanese armed forces' mountain warfare school was part of broader efforts to address global stability and security, though she could not provide specific details on the grant. She also said that the impact of cuts on global food security was considered, with humanitarian assistance protected given the high number of people facing severe food insecurity.

The committee also heard from Minister Anita Anand, who outlined Canada’s foreign policy priorities of defence and security, economic resilience, and core values, and defended the government’s engagement with countries like the United Arab Emirates and China as necessary for economic prosperity while continuing to raise human rights concerns. She confirmed that a foreign influence transparency registry is expected by the end of the year, and that consular services will not be compromised by expenditure reductions. The meeting concluded with the committee adopting a routine motion on division.

AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.

Witnesses · 3

Shirley Carruthers

Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer, People and Corporate Management Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development

Opening remarks

Actually, as far as I'm aware, there won't be any major impacts in terms of the overall calendar, but the new process will allow items that are actually announced within the budget to make it into the main estimates. Right now, as you would be aware, a lot of the items that we see within the supplementary estimates would have been announced during the budget of the previous cycle, so when the main estimates are actually tabled, parliamentarians wouldn't necessarily have a good view of what was actually announced in the budget. What it will mean for departments is basically that we will have to bring our different submissions to the Treasury Board a little bit earlier in the cycle in order to make that deadline.

Full testimony ↗

Catherine Jobin

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy, Policy and Public Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development

Opening remarks

I will say a couple of things in terms of what will be accomplished. The budget sets out a target to double non-U.S. exports within the end of the decade. That's $300 billion a year. The strategic export office will be a key part of that by helping to curate the engagement that will achieve deals, with government-to-government engagement and support of the private sector. The last piece is trade diversification as a whole-of-country enterprise. It's the product of business decisions that will be supported by some of the measures outlined in the budget.

Leslie Norton

Assistant Deputy Minister, International Assistance Partnerships and Programming Branch , Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development

Opening remarks

When we carried out the review over the summer, we looked at a number of principles. We recognized the fact that key partners and Canadian partners were able to produce significant results for Canada's international assistance. It was a multilateral, global and Canadian approach. We also wanted to look at projects that were under way and those that had not yet started. Lastly, we wanted to reduce the impact on our international assistance, our international partners and the recipients of our assistance. As part of that approach, we tried to minimize as much as possible the impact on the front lines and on communities. We also needed to keep up with the global context, with what was happening with our multilateral partners and with the impacts of cuts that have been implemented around the world.

Full testimony ↗