Canada to Provide $51.1 Million in New Humanitarian Funding for Ukraine

Ottawa has pledged another $51.1 million in humanitarian aid funding to Ukraine to support health care, food, shelter, and protection services, as well as veterans and their families.

Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai announced the funding on April 3 as he concluded his visit to Ukraine and Poland where he met with various senior Ukrainian ministers to discuss the “immediate consequences” of the war, as well as longer-term recovery and reconstruction priorities.

Approximately $32 million of the funding will go toward urgent humanitarian needs, including emergency health care, shelter, water, sanitation, and food, while $6 million will go toward administering post-war elections in Ukraine, Global Affairs Canada said in a backgrounder document.

An additional $5 million of the funding is expected to support programs and services for Ukrainian veterans and their families to assist with reintegration into society. This comes after Canada and Ukraine had signed a memorandum of understanding last February to share expertise on supporting veterans’ transition to life after service.

The funding also includes $5 million for the organization UN Women, which will help Kyiv meet technical requirements to qualify to join the European Union, as well as another $3 million for existing projects.

“Canada remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine, not only as it continues to face Russia’s war, but as it rebuilds for the future,” Sarai said in an April 3 statement. “By working alongside Ukrainian leaders, regional partners in Poland, civil society and the private sector, we are helping lay the foundation for a resilient, inclusive and stronger Ukraine.”

The funding announcement comes after Canada committed in late February to providing $2 billion in military assistance to Ukraine for this fiscal year, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the country.

The package included a donation of 400 armoured vehicles to Ukraine, with 383 Roshel Senator vehicles made in Canada. This builds on Canada’s previous donations, including 200 Roshel vehicles in 2023, and an initial eight vehicles in 2022.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Canada has provided more than $25.5 billion to Ukraine in various forms of aid, including economic, military, humanitarian, development, security, stabilization, and immigration assistance.

Security Guarantees

The announcement also comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney said in January that Canada will continue to expand its military in the years ahead, in part to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.

He made the comments ahead of a meeting in France with fellow leaders of the “Coalition of the Willing,” comprising approximately 35 nations that have pledged to provide political, military, and security support to Ukraine.

The meeting was called to facilitate discussion on terms of a peace plan arrangement between Ukraine and Russia, with Carney telling reporters on Jan. 6 that the main objective of the meeting was to finalize the security guarantees. The meeting was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. representatives of the proposed peace process.

Following the meeting, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra thanked Prime Minister Mark Carney and Canada for its contribution to security guarantees for Ukraine, saying security guarantees “let the people of Ukraine know that when this war ends, it ends forever.” He said the meeting was a “big step forward toward bringing peace to Ukraine.”

The Prime Minister’s Office said after the meeting that the allies are ready to commit to “a system of politically and legally binding guarantees,” which will be activated once a cease-fire begins.

The security guarantees will include participating in a U.S.-led cease-fire monitoring and verification mechanism, as well as continued support for the Ukrainian military, including defence packages, financing the purchase of weapons, and cooperating with Ukraine on its budget to fund its military, among other measures, the office said.

In addition, the guarantees will include a multinational force for Ukraine, involving members of the Coalition and the proposed support of the United States, binding commitments to support Ukraine in the event of a future armed attack by Russia, and a commitment to deepen long-term defence cooperation with Ukraine.

Carney noted the Canadian Armed Forces have provided training to thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, and can also provide logistics, surveillance, and cyber support to Ukraine. He also said it’s a “possibility” that Canada could put troops on the ground as part of the multilateral force to support Ukraine. A senior government official told reporters Canada had been in discussions for months about making an “appropriate and serious contribution” to Ukraine security guarantees.