Protesters gather Monday outside the Montreal offices of the International Civil Aviation Organization, where the Haiti summit was held. (CBC)

A small group of protesters gathered outside a Montreal summit of international players in the rebuilding of Haiti on Monday, hoping to make sure the reconstruction efforts benefit the Haitian people — and not corporations.

Inside the meeting, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was joined by foreign ministers from a dozen counties, including U.S Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, along with eight international bodies, including banks and six major non-governmental organizations.

Despite the meeting's appearance of good intentions, some members of Montreal’s Haitian community are not convinced the participants have the best interests of the Haitian people at heart.

"In the past, when nations have put together a great deal of money, there are always financial interests behind it," said Montrealer Daphney Laraque.

There are also questions of accountability, said Will Prosper of community group Montréal Nord Républik.

"We don’t want Haiti to become another nation that the United States is exploiting," Prosper said.

The protesters also received support from people with few ties to the earthquake-ravaged country.

"I’m a taxpayer," said Judith Quinn. "And, I’m concerned that my money is going to benefit [the] construction of sweatshops where they pay people $3 a day."

Haitian government overseeing relief work

The summit was a success, said Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon as the meeting wrapped up Monday.

Cannon addressed the protesters' concerns, saying the government of Haiti is the one "driving the bus" when it comes to relief efforts.

"The Haitian government is sovereign and the Haitian government will decide," Cannon said.

No specific amounts of money were pledged to help the country, but leaders agreed to meet again at the U.N. headquarters in New York City in March.

The conference was a step in the right direction towards rebuilding the Caribbean nation, said some observers from Montreal’s Haitian community.

"I do hope that they will respect the Haitian people and to work with us, but to let us lead," said Kerlande Mibel, president of the city’s Young Haitian Chambre of Commerce.