Canada’s Aid to Syria: Funding a Crisis It Helped Create

Canada’s recent announcement of $17.25 million in humanitarian aid to Syria highlights the dire state of a country reeling from over a decade of conflict. With 16 million people—nearly 70 percent of the population—in urgent need of assistance, the funding will purportedly provide food, water, and healthcare through “experienced humanitarian partners.” However, this aid raises uncomfortable questions about the West’s role in creating the very crisis it now seeks to address.

For years, Western governments, including Canada, have been deeply involved in Syria’s conflict, supporting “moderate opposition” forces against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Leaked documents in 2020 exposed the extent of this involvement, revealing Western-funded propaganda campaigns designed to sway public opinion and undermine Assad. Canada’s funding of entities like ARK Group DMCC—a consulting firm carrying out British-led psychological operations in Syria—highlights its complicity in shaping a narrative that destabilized the country further.

READ MORE: How Canada Helped Fund a Covert Propaganda Campaign in the Middle East

These efforts exacerbated Syria’s fragmentation, leading to widespread displacement and contributing to the collapse of vital infrastructure. Now, with Assad’s regime toppled, the humanitarian catastrophe is worse than ever. Canada’s new funding, while claiming to address immediate needs, reflects a broader pattern of Western influence in a region the West helped destabilize.

Since 2016, Canada has contributed billions in funding for Syria and neighbouring countries. Some past allocations have been linked to controversial initiatives, such as ARK’s “strategic communications” operations, which are detailed in Coastal Front’s Syria investigation, published last year. This history demonstrates a broader pattern in which aid programs framed as humanitarian frequently serve geopolitical objectives, with Canadian taxpayers often footing the bill.

Canadian officials, including International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen, may genuinely believe that this aid serves an altruistic purpose. However, Canada is playing a role in a familiar cycle: destabilize, intervene, and fund recovery efforts—without ever addressing accountability for the initial disruption. This funding is yet another step in a long-standing strategy, historically led by Washington and the UK, to indirectly perpetuate Western influence in the region, with Canadian ministers and taxpayers likely unaware of the broader implications.

While immediate relief is necessary, a deeper reckoning with the policies and decisions that contributed to Syria’s devastation is long overdue.