Canadian taxpayers are footing a massive and growing bill for the World Health Organization (WHO), according to new figures quietly tabled in Parliament.

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A response to Order Paper Question Q-328, filed by Global Affairs Canada and answered November 3, 2025, shows that Canada’s contributions to the WHO have exploded since the pandemic began.

• 2020: $43 million

• 2021: $206 million

• 2022: $122 million

• 2023: $107 million

• 2024: $102 million

• 2025: $83 million (projected)

That’s roughly $663 million in just six years, making the WHO one of the top recipients of Canadian foreign aid.

Officials did not specify what portion of that funding was tied to pandemic recovery, vaccine initiatives, or ongoing membership dues — only that the money was channeled through Canada’s International Assistance Envelope, a $7 billion fund overseen by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.

The WHO windfall is part of a wider surge in Ottawa’s support for multilateral institutions:

• World Bank: from $3 million in 2020 to $129 million in 2024;

• UN core contributions: up from $50 million last year to $135 million;

• UNRWA: despite a supposed “pause,” funding has increased to $52 million;

• International Organization for Migration: up from $20 million in 2021 to $59 million today.

Buried in the same disclosure, Global Affairs acknowledged that aid distributed through these organizations reached countries under Canadian sanctions, including China ($32 million), Venezuela ($58 million), and Iran ($3.5 million).

The Carney government has defended these ballooning transfers as “global solidarity.”