The head of UNAIDS has appealed directly to Prime Minister Mark Carney, urging Canada not to scale back its commitments to foreign aid and global health programs as Ottawa reviews federal spending ahead of Budget 2026.
In a public statement and private communication with senior Canadian officials, the UNAIDS executive director warned that any reductions in Canada’s global health funding could have “serious and immediate consequences” for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment access, and pandemic preparedness initiatives across low- and middle-income countries.
Canada has been a major contributor to multilateral health programs for more than two decades, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Gavi vaccine initiatives, and emergency health responses. However, rising fiscal pressures, inflation, and significant domestic spending pledges have prompted questions about whether foreign aid budgets will remain protected.
According to officials, Prime Minister Carney’s government is conducting a broad expenditure review as part of its push to stabilize federal finances. While no decisions have been announced, internal discussions have triggered concern among international partners who rely on Canadian funding to maintain essential health operations.
The UNAIDS chief emphasized that global health investments are not only humanitarian in nature but also critical to global security and economic resilience. “Cutting aid in the middle of overlapping health crises risks undoing decades of progress,” the agency warned, noting that HIV infection rates have risen in several regions as funding gaps widen.
Advocacy groups in Canada have echoed these concerns, urging the government to preserve commitments that support life-saving medication, frontline health workers, and research programs that prevent future pandemics. They argue that Canada’s standing on the world stage — particularly within the G7 — depends in part on its reliability as a global health leader.
Government sources say Ottawa is aware of the growing international pressure but maintains that any decisions will balance domestic needs with Canada’s global responsibilities. With the next fiscal update approaching, the question of aid allocations is expected to become a major point of debate inside Parliament and among Canada’s global partners.