OTTAWA, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- The Canadian government has withdrawn funding for an unregistered Syrian aid group, Foreign Minister John Baird said Wednesday.
The announcement came the day after Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended the pledge of $2 million (the Canadian and U.S. dollars are close to par) to Canadian Relief for Syria. Harper said the government had done "due diligence" on the group, which has not yet received its registration from the tax authorities.
Baird said the government was concerned the group would use the money for expenses other than direct aid "like warehouses and infrastructure," the Toronto Star reported.
The foreign minister announced the aid for CRS during a trip to the region last week. He promised $6.5 million to Jordan, which is providing temporary shelter for thousands of Syrian refugees.
Momtaz Almoussly of CRS said the group had not been officially notified of the government's change of heart. He suggested the real reason is media reporting of alleged ties to a group that was once linked to a suspected al-Qaida financier.
"We are very sad that some media drama gets in the way of supporting medical supplies to people who are dying from non-fatal injuries from lack of medical care," Almoussly said.
