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The Department of Finance censored details of federal aid to Ukraine, concealing $22 billion in aid in an Access To Information memo. They estimate Ukraine's postwar recovery will take 10 years and over half a trillion dollars.

A May 20 memo for Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne stated that "Canada has provided the highest per capita financial support to Ukraine in the G7," encompassing "financial, humanitarian, and other support."

Blacklock's reported that a memo detailing Canada's financial support to Ukraine had its table censored. 

The department invoked Access To Information exemptions (sections 15.1 and 27.1.a), citing potential harm to international affairs and the revelation of third-party trade secrets.

The memo, obtained by Conservative MP Kelly McCauley on Tuesday, revealed Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Sunday announcement to increase Canadian aid, including military assistance, from $20 billion to nearly $22 billion. The $2 billion will fund drones, ammunition, and armoured vehicles for NATO defence spending.

Carney declared Canada is "answering the call" at this critical moment for allies to lead. 

Carney earlier announced on June 17 $4.3 billion in new defence support for Ukraine, including a $2.3 billion loan from frozen Russian assets. This follows the 2022 seizure of $381 billion from Russia by Canada and allies.

“We'll be working with our European and other allies for their contributions to provide the support and to be absolutely clear,” Carney said, noting their support will be “unwavering” until the war is over.

In late October, then-Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced support for Ukraine as part of a “collaborative” loan with allied states. “Whereby, using the frozen assets of the Russian central bank, we have come together to extend a $68 billion loan to Ukraine.”

Of that, Canada is providing $5 billion to Ukraine. Freeland, of Ukrainian descent, pledged continued aid for years. “We will be there until Ukraine wins the war,” she said in April 2023.

Ukraine needs US$162.9 billion in foreign aid by 2026 if the war persists, with postwar reconstruction at nearly US$524 billion, encompassing both public and private sectors. 

As governments and public institutions cannot finance these costs alone, private sector investment is crucial for reconstruction, according to the Finance Department.

Meanwhile, internal federal polling reveals Canadians doubt the impact of aid to Ukraine and believe the conflict has stalled, per a 2024 Privy Council report.

“Many shared that while they had previously followed the conflict quite closely they were no longer as well-informed as they had once been,” it said. This decline is attributed to either decreased personal interest in seeking information or the perception that information is no longer as accessible via news and social media.

A 2023 finance department report, Research On The State Of The Economy, revealed taxpayer division on Ukrainian aid: 32% agreed with more financial aid, 35% disagreed, and 33% had no opinion.