Ottawa’s foreign aid chief eyes red tape, visibility as Canada resists cutbacks

By Dylan Robertson The MP overseeing foreign aid says Canada must take a more efficient, more visible approach to development and humanitarian assistance to make the case for maintaining aid spending as the United States pulls back. “Those that are staying the course need to be more nimble and need to be more versatile,” said Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, in his first major interview since taking on the role. Sarai said his top priorities in the job are to ensure Canadian aid dollars are being spent efficiently and to give Canadians and aid recipients a better idea of where the money goes. “It doesn’t mean that a sack of grain needs to have a Maple Leaf on it,” he said. While branding can play a role,…

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