Global Affairs
How Global Affairs spent its budget in fiscal year 2023-24, on a Volume II appropriations basis.
Department Spending
In FY 2023-24,
$19.26B
was spent by Global Affairs
In FY 2023-24,
3.7%
of federal spending was by Global Affairs
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is the federal department responsible for managing Canada's diplomatic relations, international trade, and development assistance. Established in 1909 as the Department of External Affairs, GAC has evolved to oversee Canada's engagement in global affairs, promoting national interests abroad and ensuring the protection of Canadian citizens overseas. The department negotiates international agreements, administers trade policies, and provides humanitarian aid. Additionally, it supports Canadian businesses in expanding internationally and strengthens diplomatic ties through multilateral organizations like the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and NATO. GAC also plays a critical role in crisis response, assisting Canadians abroad during emergencies, and fostering global security and stability.
Global Affairs Canada spent $19.26B in fiscal year (FY) 2024, representing 3.7% of the $513.9 billion in overall federal spending. This placed GAC among the mid-sized federal departments in terms of total expenditures.
Federal spending may shift over time due to changing global circumstances, diplomatic priorities, and Canada's economic relationships. Since 1995, overall federal spending has increased by 74.9%, while Global Affairs Canada's budget has grown by 166.5%, reflecting an expansion in international engagement.
While GAC's spending has increased in real terms, its share of the federal budget has also increased moderately over the past decades. In 2024, GAC accounted for 3.7% of federal spending, compared to 2% in 1995.
Major international events, trade agreements, foreign aid commitments, and global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic have influenced fluctuations in spending. In 2020, GAC's budget surged due to emergency international assistance programs, including vaccine distribution and humanitarian relief efforts.
GAC's expenditures are divided across five primary categories:
A significant portion of GAC's budget supports Canada's international development assistance, with key programs focused on climate adaptation, gender equality, and health initiatives in developing nations. The department also facilitates economic diplomacy and trade agreements that benefit Canadian businesses and secure investment opportunities abroad.
Federal departments often contain other entities. In FY 2024, Global Affairs Canada's entities with the highest expenditures were:
Global Affairs Canada is led by two ministers appointed by the Prime Minister and formally sworn into office at Rideau Hall. The department's leadership includes:
The ministers work alongside the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Minister of International Trade, who manage the department's operational and policy frameworks.
These Ministers are some of the cabinet members who serve at the Prime Minister's discretion. Their tenure typically ends when they resign, are replaced, or when a new Prime Minister takes office and appoints a new cabinet. Outgoing ministers remain in their roles until their successors are sworn in.
How did Global Affairs spend its budget in 2023-24?
Spending by entity, FY 2023-24
Export Development Canada (Canada Account)
Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
International Development Research Centre
Invest in Canada Hub
Canadian Commercial Corporation
International Joint Commission (Canadian Section)
$10.52B
$8.51B
$164.6M
$34.3M
$14M
$9.2M
Global Affairs’s share of federal spending
Percentage of federal spending, 1995–2025
Line items
Complete appropriation (vote/allotment) and transfer-payment lines, in dollars. Search, sort, and download the full table.
| Vote | Description | Total available | Used ▼ | Lapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory amounts | Statutory amounts | $10,522,747,357 | $10,522,747,357 | $0 |
| Vote 10 | Grants and contributions | $5,676,680,908 | $5,578,000,268 | $98,680,640 |
| Vote 1 | Operating expenditures | $2,404,481,510 | $2,255,988,673 | $148,492,837 |
| Statutory amounts | Statutory amounts | $452,472,430 | $428,707,207 | $23,765,223 |
| Vote 1 | Payments to the Centre | $164,605,641 | $164,605,641 | $0 |
| Vote 5 | Capital expenditures | $246,962,958 | $143,995,844 | $102,967,114 |
| Vote 15 | Payments, in respect of pension, insurance and social security programs or other arrangements for employees locally engaged outside of Canada, or in respect of the administration of such programs or arrangements | $107,782,011 | $106,629,725 | $1,152,286 |
| Vote 1 | Program expenditures | $35,666,724 | $34,271,743 | $1,394,981 |
| Vote 1 | Payments to the Corporation | $13,962,379 | $13,962,379 | $0 |
| Vote 1 | Program expenditures | $10,450,521 | $8,537,225 | $1,913,296 |
| Statutory amounts | Statutory amounts | $654,812 | $654,812 | $0 |
| Vote 20 | Pursuant to subsection 12(2) of the International Development (Financial Institutions) Assistance Act, payments to international financial institutions—Direct payments | $1 | $0 | $1 |
Explore other federal departments
Global Affairs figures are on a Volume II appropriations basis and will not match the Volume I consolidated headline totals. See the methodology for details.
