Eighteen months after submitting a proposal to CIDA for $49.2 million over five years — a proposal that sought a $5 million funding increase — Ottawa responded with money for select projects in seven countries. At present D&P supports 186 projects in 30 countries. The new CIDA agreement withdraws government funding for every D&P project in Africa outside of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Last year D&P received $8.2 million in government funds, more than matched by $12.6 million in contributions from Catholics across Canada. This year the government’s contribution will be $2.9 million.

Layoffs are coming in September, but it’s too early to say how many will lose their jobs, Casey told The Catholic Register.

Cuts will be hardest on D&P partners around the world, Casey said. D&P has already had to cut funding to 32 partners by an average of 57 per cent while it waited for CIDA’s decision. Another 48 partners have been on hold waiting to renew funding agreements with D&P.

“CIDA focused its contribution to Development and Peace in the countries where programming will most likely produce tangible results,” wrote a CIDA spokesperson in an email to The Catholic Register. “For example, CIDA is supporting Development and Peace’s work to increase food security and incomes in Columbia through the training of 40,000 farmers and in Cambodia through the training of 240,000 farmers in co-operatives.”

CIDA funding to D&P is now limited to Afghanistan, Cambodia, Columbia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Indonesia and the Philippines. Four of the countries correspond to CIDA’s list of 20 countries of focus. Cambodia, Congo and the Philippines do not appear on CIDA’s list of priorities.

CIDA would not answer questions about the rationale for its funding decision.

“CIDA does not discuss publicly the specifics of individual proposals,” said CIDA’s media relations department.

The funding cut has prompted the union representing D&P employees to circulate a 12-page document criticizing Casey and his team for failing to fight the government.

“It was decided not to mobilize its forces, not to make waves, not to risk offending the government and ... we were cut,” reads the internal memo of the Union of Employees of Development and Peace.

Defunding long-term development partnerships and an increased emphasis on emergency relief is distorting the social justice mandate of D&P, according to the union.

“Without a genuine debate, the mission of the organization is being insidiously changed,” said the document, called “A call for the mobilization of the members of Development and Peace: What future do we want for our organization?” The union accuses management, the bishops and CIDA of pushing D&P into becoming a mere charity responding to the disaster of the moment, rather than a social justice movement trying to change the world in favour of the poor.

Casey rejects the accusation.

“We don’t look at this as an either-or between charity and social justice,” he said. “There has been absolutely no deviation from our mission or commitment to our mission.”

The executive director is doubtful about confronting the government.

“I don’t know whether it’s appropriate for the institution to engage in that kind of thing. We have signed a funding agreement with the government,” he said. “Even though the results may be disappointing to us based on what we had originally requested, we still have received the support of the government.”

Casey is asking members to pull out all stops on Solidarity Sunday, March 25, to try and fill the $5 million hole with extra Share Lent donations.

“We will be looking for alternative sources of support for our program and to find ways we can restore some of this, but it’s a very sad period,” Casey said.

In Toronto, ShareLife’s contribution to D&P hasn’t increased in the last seven years, but that’s been just as true for many of the 42 other agencies the archdiocesan appeal supports, said ShareLife executive director Arthur Peters.

“We can only give out what we raise,” he said.

In most of Canada, D&P gets one Sunday in Lent to appeal directly for donations. Funds collected go straight to D&P. In Toronto, D&P’s share of the Lenten collection depends on the decision of a five-member ShareLife allocations committee, which meets in October.