Liberals 'doubling down' on foreign aid as G7 allies pull back

A server ladles soup into a container as children line up to receive food at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in March.

The new humanitarian funding comes at what Higgins calls an unprecedented state of need and complexity, with major wars in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine and Sudan, along with conflict and mass migration crises in Myanmar, Nigeria and Venezuela.

The aim is help poor countries escape debt traps and the financial burden of catastrophic natural disasters, moving instead toward being able to invest in infrastructure that's more resilient to climate change.

That means Ottawa can use its clout now to start pushing countries to boost their aid funding in 2025, and have the G7 pay more attention to crises beyond the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Higgins said.

NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson said the increase in humanitarian aid doesn't make up for cuts the Harper and Trudeau governments have made over recent years.

She noted that Canada still isn't meeting the global target for rich countries, set out by former Prime Minister Lester Pearson as 0.7 per cent of gross national product for foreign aid.