“[We] have achieved huge feats in support of public health like eradicating smallpox and reducing malaria transmission [...] we recommit to building a world where everyone has access to timely and quality health and nutrition services. Together, we can ensure everyone, wherever they are in the world, enjoys a longer, healthier, and more prosperous life.”
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
2025 is an important year. With Canada hosting the G7 in June, a federal election on the horizon, and deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) only five years away, this year’s budget is a critical opportunity for us to push the government to keep its promise of growing Canada’s international assistance every year to address growing global challenges.
Our world is grappling with multiple crises – from climate change to escalating conflicts – that have slowed progress in eliminating extreme poverty. Over half the SDG targets are falling short, and 30% have either stalled or regressed. The toll is immense: women, children, and affected communities are paying the highest price, caught in a cycle of poverty, disease, and suffering.
But there is hope. Over the last decade, we’ve made incredible strides:
We have new, effective, and efficient immunizations against malaria and tuberculosis being deployed and developed.
The widespread adoption of vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is pushing us closer to eliminating cervical cancer.
We’ve learned more about how malnutrition affects the health of children and mothers.
These solutions work – but they need more support to reach those who need them most.
The successes of the recent decades, including the dramatic reduction in global child mortality, were driven, among other things, by Canada’s legacy of supporting the health of our world’s most vulnerable – especially women and children. We must recognize that disease, malnutrition, and out-of-school children are not isolated problems – they are symptoms of the same vicious cycle of poverty and crises. Without action, this cycle will continue to spiral.
Canada can help change this. We must lead with renewed commitment to a world free from extreme poverty. By increasing investments our International Assistance Envelope and making high-impact investments in global education, immunization, and nutrition, we can stop the cycle of poverty in its tracks. We can show that #TogetherWeLead.
The ask: We call on Canada to #BudgetForLeadership and increase the International Assistance Envelope by an additional $650 million per year in budget 2025 to ensure that everyone, everywhere has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.
how Canada can #BudgetForLeadership
Climate change and spreading conflict have slowed our progress in eliminating extreme poverty and threatening the lives and wellbeing of millions around the world. More people than ever before are displaced from their homes and are at risk of disease and hunger. With health systems overwhelmed, routine vaccinations are deferred. With supply chain disruptions and intensifying climate disasters, food prices have increased. With children out of school, years of education are delayed. However, there are concrete actions Canada can take to step up and support the health, wellbeing, and dignity of people around the world – starting with growing our International Assistance Envelope.
why Canada must step-up NOW
Between 2024 and 2050, climate change will mean 40 million additional children will be stunted (too short for their age) and 28 million additional children will be wasted (too thin for their height).
Climate change will lead to the spread of spread deadly diseases like dengue fever through changing transmission patterns of infectious diseases.
Prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases will likely rise as warmer climates, natural disasters, clean water scarcity, and mass migration increase transmission.
224 million children living in emergency contexts urgently need quality education support, with 72 million are out of school, their futures unknown.
Canada has a non-partisan legacy of making an impact in around the globe, particularly in the lives of women and children. For decades, Canada has supported children’s health, education, immunization, and ensured access to nutritious foods. Importantly, this support has been maintained and has grown across successive governments, showing that supporting the health, wellbeing, and dignity of people around the world isn’t a partisan issue, it’s a Canadian value.
Canada’s global legacy
In 2010, then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper created the Muskoka Initiative for maternal and child health at the G8 (now G7) Summit. Canada’s contribution of $1.1 billion was leveraged to a total global investment of $40 billion, saving at least 1.2 million children’s lives.
In 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leveraged Canada’s G7 Presidency to create the Charlevoix Education Initiative, which supported the education of women and girls living in crisis. Backed by a Canadian investment of $400 million, Charlevoix leveraged $3.8 billion from G7 partners. The Canadian investment alone reached over 4 million women and girls living in fragile contexts, providing access to safe and quality education.
Since 2002, Canada has invested $1 billion in Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, helping immunize 1 billion children and saving 17 million lives. Canada’s investments have helped to bolster vaccination systems in more than 60 countries and have generated a 54:1 return in economic benefits in implementing countries.
For decades, Canada has been a leader in fighting global malnutrition, remaining the largest donor to vitamin A supplementation, which has helped save the lives of 7 million+ children. In addition, nutrition comprised close to a third of the health spending in Canada’s 2010 Muskoka Initiative.
This leadership on the global stage is Canada’s legacy. It’s told in lives saved and futures secured. As Canada assumes the G7 Presidency in 2025 and with Budget 2025, we have an opportunity to build on this legacy and set the stage for an equitable and sustainable future for all by:
As the 2025 G7 President, Canada must renew and expand the Charlevoix Declaration to drive political will and investment for education in emergencies to ensure every child has access to quality education.
Making an early investment of $720 million in Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to ensure the immunization of over 500 million children, and to support the elimination of cervical cancer through vaccinations against the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Addressing our world’s urgent hunger and nutrition crisis by investing $750 million over 5 years at the March 2025 Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris.
But Canada can’t make these investments without growing the International Assistance Envelope – the budget line from where the vast majority of Canada’s international assistance is drawn.
By investing across health, nutrition, and education, Canada can help reverse the vicious cycle of poverty. Let’s act together to ensure that Budget 2025 is a #BudgetForLeadership.
The ask: We call on Canada to #BudgetForLeadership and increase the International Assistance Envelope by an additional $650 million per year in budget 2025 to ensure that everyone, everywhere has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.
latest campaign news
#ReachEveryChild:
In 2024, we stood together and called on Canada to #ReachEveryChild with transformative investments in health, education, and nutrition. We’ve seen successes this year and helped to move the dial on critical global issues. On September 20th, Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen reaffirmed Canada's commitment to eradicating polio, announcing $ 151 million — that's $1 million more than our ask! With your help, we will push Canada step-up in early 2025 to reach every child with lifesaving immunizations through a pledge of $720 million for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and to #FeedOurFuture with a strong commitment of $750 million at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in March.
story
Jahanara, Sangita Mishra, and Kokobe Ashabir may live in different countries, but they share a common struggle: navigating motherhood in challenging environments where anemia and low birth weight are widespread. For each of them, a simple, cost-effective solution – multiple micronutrient supplements – has transformed the lives of both themselves and their children, offering a path to better health and a brighter future.
As 2025 kicks-off, your Member of Parliament (MP) is getting ready to head back to Parliament on January 27th. It’s the perfect time to engage your MP tell them why you care about making sure children worldwide have nutritious food and how Canada can help address the malnutrition crisis by stepping up at the Nutrition For Growth (N4G) Summit in March. We have designed and printed postcards to send this message right to their mail slot!
Why now? We wanted to do this action last month for our #FeedOurFuture campaign, but we delayed it due to the Canada Post strike. There’s still time before the March Summit, so let’s do it now to support children around the world!
Long-press or double-click to save this image then attach it to your email!
On the postcard, write in your own words why you believe Canada should #FeedOurFuture by investing Canada’s fair share in global nutrition at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2025. To learn more about the #FeedOurFuture campaign, check out our campaign archive page.
To get a postcard (or a few), reach out to your group leader or action@resultscanada.ca! And don’t forget, mailing your MP is free, so no stamp is needed.
Don’t know who your MP is? Type your postal code on the House of Commons website find out their name (and their contact info for future engagements!).
And make sure to sign-up for your MP’s newsletter if you haven't already! It’s important to stay up to date on what your MP is doing and discover opportunities to engage with them! MPs will often have an email newsletter that shares events where you might be able to meet them in person to advocate for our issues and important news. You can usually sign up through their website or contact their office to inquire about it. To find your MP's contact info, type your postal code here and click the contact tab.
expert tip - EPIC model
Remember to use the EPIC model to help draft your postcard, and don’t be afraid to make it personal, connecting domestic experience to our global advocacy! This is a critical opportunity to remind you MP and the Prime Minister that Canadians care about global issues and that need to step up for nutrition!
expert tip - find your MP
Use your postal code on the House of Commons website to find out who your MP is, and their contact information, such as their email address.
See all our resources to help you write your MP, along with key dates, hashtags, tags and keywords found on our call-to-action page. If you need additional help with this action, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at action@resultscanada.ca.
2. write an letter to the editor
Write a letter to the editor (LTE) highlighting the need for Canada to table a #BudgetForLeadership and increase Canada’s International Assistance Envelope by $650 million in Budget 2025. Reference the critical need for Canadian global leadership, and how investments in health, good nutrition, and access to education will help communities flourish!
follow these step-by-step instructions to write an LTE
Volunteers on average spend 1-2 hours researching and planning, 30 minutes writing their draft and 15 minutes submitting it to newspapers.
Research the current issue by reading the news or external reliable sources (e.g., the World Health Organization).
Draft your LTE. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to be an expert to have an opinion.
Create an outline of your letter using the EPIC format.
Keep it short – 150-200 words. Being clear and concise will increase your chances of getting published.
Focus on your perspective and speak from the heart while supporting your opinion with evidence from our call-to-action and/or your research.
Remember to state the problem early on and include a solution to the issue which is usually the “ask” in the call-to-action.
Write a catchy title that will draw the reader in.
Review your draft to make sure you are using respectful and inclusive language – see our anti-oppression best practices.
Decide if you are sending your LTE to one or many newspapers. If you’re emailing multiple newspapers, put their addresses in the BCC field. Use our database of editors’ emails for options.
Press ‘send’ – congratulations! Tell your Group Leader you’ve submitted an LTE. If you are not part of a group, consider joining one.
See all our resources to help you write your LTE, along with key dates, hashtags, tags and keywords found on our call-to-action page.
3. use your voice on social media
Use your voice on social media to tell Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc that you care about global issues. By passing a #BudgetForLeadership that increases Canada’s International Assistance Envelope by $650 million, Canada will help educate, immunize, and nourish millions worldwide.
Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn post (copy and paste into your social media and download the graphic below to add a visual!):
Canada is a global leader and the globe needs us right now to help educate, immunize, and nourish millions worldwide. #Budget2025 is a critical opportunity for the government to keep its promise of growing Canada’s international assistance. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister Dominic LeBlanc: we must step up and increase our International Assistance Envelope by $650 million in 2025 and pass a #BudgetForLeadership! Because #TogetherWeLead.
👉 Join me in taking action to stand up for the world with @ResultsCda https://bit.ly/ResultsCTA2
#cdnpoli
Long-press or double-click to save one of these images then post it along with your message on social media!
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Everyday people empowered to generate the political will to end extreme poverty. Change is possible.
