|
January 14, 2010
Statement on Haiti
The Government of Canada expresses heartfelt sympathies to those who have been affected by the disaster in Haiti, and continues to send support to grieving families during this difficult time. Our government is deeply saddened by reports of Canadian casualties as a result of the earthquake in Haiti. On the ground, over 100 Canadians have taken refuge at our Embassy in Haiti, and another 48 are being assisted. Canada is taking the appropriate steps to evacuate Canadians out of Haiti. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has announced that later today, the first wave of evacuees has arrived in the Dominican Republic with approximately 100 Canadians on board, and will continue on to Montreal to arrive late this evening. They will be arriving on the Hercules aircraft that travelled to Haiti yesterday. Over the next few days, our government hopes to evacuate as many Canadians as possible as we continue our operations in Haiti. The Minister of International Cooperation announced this morning, Canada will match the contributions of individual Canadians to eligible Canadian charitable organizations, in support of humanitarian and recovery efforts in Haiti, to a total of $50 million. CIDA will allocate these funds to established Canadian and international humanitarian and development organizations who have an established presence in Haiti. Donations made by individual Canadians to eligible Canadian charitable organizations over the period of January 12 to February 12, 2010 will be matched by the Government of Canada through the CIDA-managed Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. The Fund will support Canadian and international humanitarian and development organizations with significant in-country capacity to deliver humanitarian, early recovery and reconstruction assistance in Haiti. The Government of Canada is engaging with the international community to ensure capacity building and coordination on the ground in order to adequately respond to the crisis. The Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last evening on the tragic events unfolding in Haiti. Today, he will speak with the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Celso Amorim. He also plans to speak with Alain Leroy the Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations. The Government of Canada is deeply moved by the generosity of Canadians and the out flowing of support. Information is available on the Canada Revenue Agency website for those who wish to make a charitable contribution towards relief efforts in Haiti. Our government encourages Canadians to consult this information, in order to free our Emergency lines for people in need. Friends and relatives in Canada seeking information on Canadian citizens believed to be in Haiti should contact the Emergency Operations Centre by calling 1‑800‑387-3124 or, for those in Ottawa, 613‑943‑1055. They may also send an email to sos@international.gc.ca. Canadian citizens in Haiti requiring emergency consular assistance should call Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada’s Emergency Operations Centre collect at 613-996-8885, or send an email to sos@international.gc.ca. The Government will update Canadians as the situation evolves at: http://www.international.gc.ca/humanitarian-humanitaire/earthquake_seisme_haiti.aspx
|
