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Canadian response to the devastating situation in Haiti
Posted on Jan. 15th 2010 at 12:19 pm EST (252 views, 2 comments)
I'm a Montrealer, and my city is home to more than 100,000 people of Haitian origin. That's about the same number of people that were initially feared lost in the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti, although the number is now estimated to be closer to 50,000. Quebec is by far the primary destination of Haitian immigrants to Canada. Everywhere in the province people are desperately trying to reach family members in Haiti, and many have been unable to ensure their loved ones are safe. Canadians' response to the crisis is overwhelming the aid agencies. I found an article in the Montreal Gazette about how websites and phone lines of humanitarian agencies are crashing because of the sheer volume of people trying make donations. You can read that article here: http://tinyurl.com/ybmvhk8 Some phone companies have already started programs where you can donate $5 just by sending a text! Like any Montrealer, I'm an avid hockey follower, and I was moved to learn, as I watched the broadcast of last night's hockey game between our Montreal Canadiens (who have a Haitian-Canadian player on their roster) and the Dallas Stars (who have another Haitian-Canadian on theirs), that the team is collecting donations from fans and matching the amount they collect over the next few games. In addition, our government almost immediately announced $5-million in initial aid to be sent to Haiti immediately, and later announced that it would be matching our donations dollar for dollar up to $50-million... That's a potential for $100-million aid for Haiti from Canada alone. Of course, this isn't even counting the Canadian government and non-government agencies that will physically be in Haiti to provide relief and later help with the rebuilding efforts… or those that are already there coordinating rescue and evacuation efforts. It's incredibly difficult to watch the pictures and videos of the devastation in Haiti, and even more difficult to imagine what Haitians and their communities abroad are going through. But learning about Canada's response to the situation makes me so proud and inspired to be Canadian. That's what our country is all about.
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