Canada boosts contributions to Haitian relief to $135-million

The federal government has boosted its monetary and manpower contributions to Haitian earthquake relief as donations by ordinary Canadians top $40-million.

Government ministers said Canada has committed up to $135-million to the relief efforts and is ready to deploy more police to help stabilize the increasingly volatile situation if needed.

Some 2,000 Canadian soldiers, sailors and air crew, including two warships, are en route to the towns of Jacmel and Leogane, about 40 kilometres southwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Leogane was at the epicentre of the Jan. 12 quake and 90 per cent of the town is flattened. Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean was raised in Jacmel, a seaside town right along the fault line.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Tuesday that Canada is constantly re-evaluating its role and stands ready to commit more police and security forces to Haiti as soon as UN authorities “signal that conditions allow this.”

“Immediate needs are being addressed, such as food, water, shelter, infrastructure, port and airport, as well as communication,” Cannon said at the government’s daily briefing on Canadian efforts in Haiti.

“We need to move beyond reconstruction to build a new Haiti … We are loyal neighbours and partners of the Haitian people, and this is what we’re focused on.”

Twelve Canadians have been confirmed dead so far; another 699 are missing as some estimates of the total number of people killed by the 7.3-magnitude quake top 150,000.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said four of the Canadian dead were government employees who “paid the ultimate price of service to their country.”

“Canadians are united in sorrow at the untimely passing of their countrymen,” Harper said after members of his new cabinet were sworn in at Rideau Hall.

International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda said Canadians have contributed more than $40-million to earthquake assistance and Ottawa will match those donations.

The federal government is also contributing $60-million to UN efforts in Haiti, $39-million of it to food security through the World Food Program. The WFP expects to provide more than 100-million meals to quake victims over the next 30 days.

Oda said $15-million of the UN-designated money will go to UNICEF for health, nutrition, protection and water-and-sanitation services.

The Canadian funds will also go to other health and shelter needs through various UN organizations on the ground in Haiti, including the International Organization for Migration, the UN Population Fund and the World Health Organization.

Additional contributions, on top of the $5-million initially distributed for critical relief supplies such as food, tents and blankets, as well as water, sanitation and protection include:

-$11.5-million to six Canadian non-governmental organizations: CARE Canada, Medecins du Monde Canada; Save the Children, Oxfam Quebec, World Vision and the Canadian Red Cross Society.

-$8.5 million to the emergency appeal of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for water, sanitation and health services to about 300,000 quake victims.

-About $1-million for an emergency field hospital, along with 10 Canadian medical and technical professionals, operated by the Norwegian Red Cross and the Canadian Red Cross.

The field hospital can provide surgical and medical care to as many as 300 quake victims a day.

Numerous hospitals in the Haitian capital have collapsed, and those that are open are full. The field hospital includes modules for surgery, first aid and triage, a ward of 70 beds, a community health unit and a psychosocial support unit.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Canada has airlifted 293 tonnes of relief goods into Haiti so far, including three water purification systems, each of which can produce more than 136,000 litres of clean water daily.

Canadian troops will remain in Haiti for two to three months, at most, said MacKay. Other departments, such as Foreign Affairs and CIDA, will pick up where the soldiers leave off, he added.

MacKay said Canadian efforts are centred on Jacmel and Leogane at the request of the Haitian government, and units will deploy to Port-au-Prince on an as-needed basis.

Canada is hosting a conference of foreign ministers from the Americas in Montreal next Monday to begin long-term planning for Haiti’s reconstruction.

Cannon said the meeting will establish a “clear and common vision” among key players involved in the relief effort.