Ottawa, Canada – As reported in the Western Standard, over the past decade, the Canadian government, under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has spent an eye-watering $11.2 billion on overseas gender initiatives while Canada’s economy worsened and the national deficit rose. This spending targets the goals of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), a wealth-redistribution program in Trudeau’s international aid strategy introduced in 2017. However, as the nation grapples with a federal debt that has doubled to an estimated $1.4 trillion by March 2025, this spending has reignited discussions about fiscal responsibility, particularly while the regular Canadians forced to bankroll such initiatives have seen their quality of lives decline.
The $11.2 billion figure, while substantial, is a conservative estimate. It reflects only gender-targeted aid and excludes the broader scope of gender-specific projects, which could inflate the total by billions if fully accounted for, according to analysts. Trudeau unveiled FIAP in the House of Commons in 2017, underscoring Trudeau’s concern for international gender equity. “We are here today to launch Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy,” he stated, framing the policy as a positive-sounding initiative intended to enrich women in foreign countries.
Yet, this commitment comes against a backdrop of fiscal challenges. During his 2015 election campaign, Trudeau vowed to balance the federal budget by 2019—a promise unmet as his government has recorded nine consecutive deficits. The most significant shortfall occurred in the 2023/24 fiscal year, with a deficit of $61.9 billion, the largest outside the COVID-19 pandemic period. From 2020 to 2025, annual deficits have averaged between $39 billion and $48 billion, propelled by misspent pandemic relief measures, questionable infrastructure investments, and misguided social programs aligned with Trudeau’s “equity-oriented” worldview.
Canada’s federal debt has surged from $693.8 billion in 2015 to a projected $1.4 trillion by March 2025, according to the Fraser Institute, a prominent Canadian think tank. This doubling of debt has increased the per-person burden by $14,127 (adjusted for inflation) between 2014/15 and 2023/24. Debt servicing costs have also climbed, reaching $53.7 billion in 2024/25—equivalent to $1,301 per Canadian, surpassing the revenue generated by the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST). While pre-COVID deficits were comparatively modest, such as $18.1 billion in 2018/19, the combination of irresponsible pandemic spending from 2020 to 2022 and sustained social spending has deepened the fiscal strain.
The $11.2 billion gender aid figure highlighted by the Western Standard has drawn mixed reactions. Critics, including the Fraser Institute, contend that much of the spending—both domestic and international—lacks efficiency and measurable outcomes, labeling it wasteful. Conversely, Trudeau’s administration defends these expenditures as “necessary” for international social equity and Canada’s optics with respect to global “gender equity.” The debate underscores a broader tension between questionable spending and fiscal sustainability, a conversation likely to intensify as Canada navigates rising debt and economic uncertainty amid a trade war with its largest trading partner.
xAI Inferences and Considerations of Trudeau’s Irresponsible Spending
The $11.2 billion investment in gender equality initiatives raises questions about its tangible impact, an aspect not fully detailed in the original data. While FIAP positions Canada as a leader in feminist foreign policy, a 2023 OECD report supported the initiative’s ambition but noted questionable gaps in tracking outcomes, suggesting that the true effectiveness of this spending remains unclear. This lack of transparency could fuel critics’ arguments about inefficiency, especially given the conservative estimate of $11.2 billion excludes potentially billions more in gender-integrated aid.
The fiscal context adds another layer of complexity. The doubling of federal debt to $1.4 trillion and the $53.7 billion in annual debt servicing costs signal considerable risk, particularly as global interest rates rise. For perspective, Statistics Canada reported the national population at approximately 41 million in 2024, meaning the per-person debt burden is a pressing concern for taxpayers. Trudeau’s government might argue that long-term societal gains—like reduced global inequality—offset the fiscal costs, but without robust data on FIAP’s results, this justification remains speculative.
Keywords: Canada gender equality spending, Feminist International Assistance Policy, Trudeau deficits, federal debt Canada, overseas gender initiatives, Fraser Institute debt analysis, fiscal policy Canada, gender aid effectiveness, national debt per person, Canadian budget deficits
