Canada Announces Additional $100M for Ukraine as Part of Global Drive

(L-R) Isha Sesay, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Hugh Evans, CEO and Co-founder, Global Citizen, Victoria Umanska of Team Ukraine Love/MamaVdoma, and Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, speak during Stand Up For Ukraine on April 09, 2022 in Warsaw, Poland. (Brian Dowling/Getty Images for Global Citizen)

Canada will provide an additional $100 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine as part of a global pledging drive that it convened with the European Commission.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement during the Stand Up For Ukraine event that took place in Poland over the weekend. Trudeau co-hosted the event via video link with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, where he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of deliberately targeting civilians in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

“We need to respect and understand that the focus that Putin has had on impacting civilian infrastructure, whether it’s [targeting] the train station we saw recently, whether it’s civilians in Bucha, or whether it’s maternity wards or hospitals, there is a deliberate attempt to cause as much long-term damage as possible to the Ukrainian people,” he said on April 9.

The event raised $12.4 billion from participating countries in support of Ukraine. The latest humanitarian aid pledge from Canada brings the amount provided to Ukraine since January to $245 million.

The $100 million does not appear in the government’s 2022 budget, which announced other measures to support Ukraine such as providing up to $1 billion in new loan resources and $500 million for military aid.

Trudeau also announced on April 9 additional measures to bring Ukrainian refugees to Canada by hiring charter flights and providing short-term income support, as well as temporary hotel accommodation for up to two weeks.

Over 13,000 Ukrainian citizens and returning Canadian permanent residents of Ukrainian origin have arrived in Canada by land or air since January, according to Immigration Canada data.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says that over 4.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, with over 2.6 million crossing into Poland.

The European Commission itself pledged €1 billion euros (CAD $1.37 billion) to Ukraine, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development previously announced an additional €1 billion loan to cover the needs of those displaced by the invasion.

“And more will come. We will continue providing support. And once the bombs have stopped falling, we will help the people of Ukraine rebuild their country. We will continue to Stand up for Ukraine,” said Von der Leyen in a statement.

The Stand Up For Ukraine campaign was launched by the European Commission and the Canadian government on March 26, in partnership with the non-profit organization Global Citizen.