Canada adds $15M to aid for Lebanon and will match $6M in donations

By Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press on October 9, 2024.

Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, speaks to reporters before a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Canada is adding another $15 million to its humanitarian aid package for Lebanon after an escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA – Canada is adding another $15 million to its humanitarian aid package for Lebanon after an escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah.

International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen says the new money will help Canadian and international aid groups provide food, water, emergency health care and other assistance in Lebanon, though the exact allocations are yet to be determined.

The funding comes on top of $10 million in aid announced by Hussen at the end of September.

He says $6 million of the total will be split between the Red Cross and the Humanitarian Coalition to match up to $3 million each in donations made to their individual Lebanon aid campaigns.

As well, $4 million will be split between the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees and the World Food Program.

Global Affairs Canada says more than 1,150 Canadians, permanent residents and their immediate family members have now left Lebanon on flights chartered by the government.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2024.