The federal government plans to spend a lot of money — $496.9 billion in 2023-24 — but the growth in federal spending projected by the latest budget hasn’t done anything for Canadian agencies that deliver humanitarian assistance and development aid in poor countries around the world.

Earthquakes in Indonesia and Haiti have left long-time Development and Peace partners in those countries reaching out for help so they can in turn help struggling peasants and fishing families surrounding them.

Catholic parishes, ministries, religious orders and institutions stand ready to help should Ottawa heed Bob Rae’s advice on the Rohingya crisis.

Faith is the force Development and Peace counts on when they ask for money. A new study by the Angus Reid Institute shows they have the right idea — but also that it may not be enough.

A new mandate from trustees of the Halton Catholic District School Board to allow its schools to give donations only to a specific list of charities that uphold Catholic values sets it apart from other nearby Catholic school boards.

Canada is on track to fall even further behind other countries in doing its bit for the world’s most vulnerable populations, despite an extra $200 million injected into the 2018 foreign aid budget.

With the amount of money Canada spends on foreign aid in decline, Canadians have been given a rare opportunity to let the federal government know what they think about its belt tightening.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberals captivated Canadians during last year’s election campaign with its vision to create a new Canada — a humanitarian Canada focused on making the world a more optimistic and equal place. But in its good-natured desire for rapid change, the government’s efforts to protect the dignity of the human person have been misguided. 

The most impactful accomplishment of Stephen Harper’s years as Prime Minister might have been his selling G-20 leaders on the need to spend billions of dollars to improve maternal and child health in some of the poorest nations on Earth.