Canada to provide Jordan with $98.4 in aid to help Syrians

Canada will give Jordan an additional $98.4 million in aid to help the Arab country cope with the costly fallout from the worsening crisis in neighboring Syria.

A statement from Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird released on Monday, after his visit to Jordan, says that “compassion for Syrians fleeing the death and destruction cannot be Jordan’s undoing.”

Jordan hosts more than half a million Syrian refugees. It has complained that growing numbers of refugees are straining its fragile economy and scarce resources.

Baird says the aid, to be dispersed over the next three years, will enhance security at Jordan’s sprawling refugee camps and help keep “terrorists at bay.”

It will also help protect Jordanians against chemical and biological weapons attacks.

Canada pledged $6.5 million to Jordan last August.