What Our Supporters Want the New Prime Minister to Know

The World Is Watching and So Are We

Dear Prime Minister Carney,

Following your election on April 28th and as you take on this new chapter in Canada’s leadership, supporters of Cuso International from coast to coast and across the globe have a message for you: Canada has a role to play, and it’s time for us to step up.

You are leading this country at a critical moment. The world is changing fast. Climate shocks are escalating. Inequality is deepening. Many of the institutions meant to protect human dignity are strained or fraying, and too many leading democracies are pulling back from their commitments to global progress. But here’s the thing: Canadians still believe. They believe in fairness, in justice, and in doing their part to make the world a better place. And they’re looking to you to lead with both conviction and compassion.

When we asked our community of donors and volunteers across the country what they would say to you directly as Canada’s Prime Minister, they didn’t hold back.

They called for smart, targeted investment in the things that matter most: education, youth employment, gender equality, climate action, peacebuilding, and local leadership. One supporter put it this way: “International development should focus on the poorest of the poor, and those who are severely disadvantaged.” Another urged Canada to “prioritize inclusive and locally led solutions; invest in women’s and youth economic empowerment in fragile and post-conflict settings.”

They asked for Canada to partner with communities, not speak for them. They emphasized the need for transparency, for measurable outcomes, and for long-term vision over performative gestures. “Really listen to what the people are saying they need, not what we think they need,” one wrote. Another added, “help individuals and communities how to be self-sufficient, and stand up for themselves.”

They want to see Canada reclaim its voice on the world stage, not as a saviour, but as a committed partner who listens, learns, and shows up when it counts. “With the U.S. taking a back seat,” one noted, “the eyes of the world are upon us. This is truly the moment to forge ahead.”

And more than anything, they reminded us that development isn’t just about aid, it’s about respect, resilience, and relationships. It’s about showing up for people who need support and standing beside them as equals. That means supporting community organizations doing the work on the ground. That means centering women, youth, and refugees in fragile settings. That means climate-smart solutions that serve both people and planet.

Because if Canada is going to lead, it needs leadership grounded not just in policy, but in empathy. In lived experience. In the wisdom of those who’ve been doing this work long before the cameras showed up.

So Prime Minister, as you shape Canada’s international development priorities, we ask you to be ambitious, but grounded. Pragmatic, but bold. A visionary but one who knows when to take advice.

Let this be the moment where Canada chooses courage to do the right thing over caution. Partnership for change over posturing. And real progress over empty promises.

The world is watching.

Sincerely,

Cuso International