Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is refusing to reveal which groups in Gaza are receiving Canadian tax dollars, citing “confidentiality” when pressed in Parliament for details on the little-known Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.Blacklock's Reporter says Conservative MP Kelly McCauley (Edmonton West) asked for a full list of grant recipients, but cabinet said naming organizations could put them “in danger” if their work involved issues such as LGBTQ rights, human trafficking or forced marriage. The government warned some groups might be forced to shut down if their ties to Canada became public.While refusing to release a full list, officials confirmed $878,487 in funding for groups in the “Palestinian Territories” since 2023, separate from the $104.5 million Ottawa has already spent on Gaza and the West Bank since last November..Among the disclosed grants was $45,274 to Press House Palestine for a “journalists’ camp project” meant to provide a workspace for media activists in Gaza. Other payouts included $35,000 for a legal and health support call centre, $34,864 to counter “negative stereotypes” about women, $33,000 for youth computer camps focused on artificial intelligence, $32,708 to “empower women farmers” on climate change, and $30,000 to defend landowners’ property rights.Cabinet said the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives spends $26.9 million annually on more than 800 projects in over 120 countries, calling it “an effective tool for advancing Canadian priorities.”
