Syrian relief matching fund topped off to reach $100M target

Keeping secret the names of agencies inside Syria receiving millions in Canadian aid money is part of a commitment to keep Canada's military and development objectives separate, the international development minister says.

But Canadians should not worry that the money is going to directly assist Islamic militants, Marie-Claude Bibeau said.

The Liberals announced $100 million in aid for programs in Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon on Wednesday, with $32 million coming from a program launched last fall that saw the government pledge to match donations from Canadians to Syrian relief.

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The previous Conservative government had said they would match donations up to $100 million and the Liberals agreed to honour that commitment and extended the program beyond its original end-of-2015 deadline to spur more donations from the public.

The fact the end result was nowhere near $100 million shouldn't be seen as a negative, Bibeau said, given the fact Canadians have been donating to support relief efforts since the civil war began in Syria in 2011.

"Considering the type of crisis, the type of event, it is a very significant contribution from Canadians," she said.

Aid to be spread around

The matching funds will be given directly to UNICEF to support education for Syrian children in Jordan and in Syria and to run a vaccination program in that country.

The remaining $68 million is being divvied up, with $23.5 million to be spent directly in Syria on projects including helping farmers get their farms back up and running, counselling and support for survivors of sexual violence, provision of primary health care and the establishment of field hospitals in the northern part of the country.

The World Food Program will receive $11.35 million, but the government won't name the rest of the agencies receiving funds, citing security concerns.

Access for humanitarian groups operating inside Syria has been a major issue; this week, the United States accused the Syrian government of preventing aid deliveries to all besieged and hard-to-reach areas of the country, in contravention of UN regulations.

Aid agencies face risks

Only 21 per cent of the half-million people living in such areas were reached by aid groups last month, down from February.

Naming the groups that get Canadian funding puts them at risk, Bibeau said.

"When they are linked to a donor, to an ally, to one party or another, they become targets," she said.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, she said none of the funds are going directly to Islamic militants a concern the opposition Conservatives have raised in recent weeks.

"We are not sending food, organizing hospitals for soldiers or groups," she said. "These partners are focusing on civilians, there is no doubt about it."

Of the funds announced Wednesday, $47 million comes from the $1.1 billion commitment to aid and development made by the Liberals in February as part of the retooled mission against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria.

The military component of that mission has yet to officially begin, though fighter jets withdrew from the air strike campaign in the middle of February.

Bibeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan held a unique meeting with development agencies last month to discuss keeping the aid and military parts of that mission as separate as possible so as not to repeat the experience of the Afghan mission, where military and humanitarian goals were closely linked, leading to criticisms about the politicization of aid.