Inside Politics

Canada's Haiti quake response: Day 3

by Andrew Davidson Posted: January 14, 2010 8:51 AM Last Updated: January 14, 2010 4:40 PM

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Inside Politics will be adding to this post throughout the day to give you the latest from Ottawa on the federal government's response to the earthquake in Haiti. For full coverage of the Haiti quake disaster, go to cbc.ca/haiti.

8:30 a.m. - In a morning media briefing, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says the federal government will match donations from individual Canadians to eligible charities up to $50 million, which would mean up to $100 million for Haitians.

Cannon says Revenue Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn will remind Canadians who wish to make a charitable contribution to ensure their charity is registered with the CRA. (Go to the Canada Revenue Agency's charity and giving search page on the CRA website to check if your charity is registered)

Cannon says Revenue Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn will remind Canadians who wish to make a charitable contribution to ensure their charity is registered with the CRA. (Go to the Canada Revenue Agency's charity and giving search page on the CRA website to check if your charity is registered)

The Canadian International Development Agency will allocate these funds to established Canadian and international humanitarian and development organizations who have an established presence in Haiti, he says.

The first Canadian evacuees from Haiti will arrive at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport later tonight from the neighbouring Dominican Republic, he says.

More than 200 Canadians on the ground who sought refuge at the Canadian mission compound in Port-au-Prince and 48 are currently receiving assistance.

Cannon says the government is "deeply saddened" by reports of Canadian casualties.

"Unfortunately, the reality and the aftermath of the catastrophic events is that we expect more casualties to be reported as search-and-rescue operations unfold," he says.

8:41 a.m. - Defence Minister Peter MacKay offers his condolences, then says the first C-130 Hercules transport carrying a 19-person reconnaissance team with communications equipment, food and water supplies has arrived safely and the team has "hit the ground running."

The transport then left Port-au-Prince with 100 Canadians on board and flew to the Dominican Republic last night.

MacKay says the two Royal Canadian Navy ships, HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabaskan, will take about four to five days to reach Haiti. HMCS Athabaskan has a Sea King helicopter on board to assist in the search.

Two aircraft, a C-17 heavy-lift transport and a C-130, departed CFB Trenton this morning. The C-17 is carrying a Sea King Griffon helicopter inside it, while the aircraft are carrying medical personnel, engineers, search-and-rescue technicians, security equipment and basic supplies, MacKay says.

canada-haiti-griffon-584.jpg
(Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

9:10 a.m. - Peter Kent, the minister of state for foreign affairs, offers his condolences to the people of Haiti and the Haitian community in Canada "as they struggle to meet the immense challenges before them."

He says Canada will co-ordinate aid response with the Organization of American States and the Pan American Development.

Canada's ambassador to the United Nations will attend a special meeting today of the Friends of Haiti in New York, a meeting that will include former U.S. president
Bill Clinton, now the UN special envoy for Haiti, Kent adds.

11:03 a.m. - From colleague James Cudmore: A Canadian Forces C-17 cargo plane has landed in Port-au-Prince. It carries two Griffon search-and-rescue helicopters, SAR staff, engineers, troops, supplies and water. It will take some time to unload the aircraft. This plane, eventually, will also carry Canadian evacuees out of Haiti to Montreal.

The Canadian ambassador in Port-Au Prince is co-ordinating the evacuation.  The priority list is 1) Injured 2) Those in need of medical attention 3) Women and children 4) Everyone else.

Also, Defence Minister Peter MacKay will attend a send off ceremony for the two ships at 3:00 AT, in Halifax.

11:20 a.m. - From colleague Cudmore again: Prime Minister Stephen Harper has officially asked Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to work on family reunion program of some sort. The government is contemplating fast-tracking visas or refugee status for Haitians affected by the quake.

11:26 a.m. - From Department of National Defence: new arrival time of 10:05 p.m. ET for first C-130 transport carrying Canadian evacuees to Montreal Trudeau's airport.

11:52 a.m. -CORRECTION: The C-17 that left this morning and just arrived in Port-Au-Prince was, as originally stated, loaded with only one Griffon helicopter.
It looks like that second helicopter will be loaded on a plane leaving later today.

12:05 p.m. - In a statement, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott says the situation in Haiti is "still chaotic" more than 36 hours after the quake. He says efforts are still underway to locate two missing officers, Spt. Douglas Coates and Sgt. Mark Gallagher.

"We are doing everything we can to find our missing members under these exceptional circumstances and are also waiting for additional resources to assist us in our work," Elliott says.

"The RCMP is in touch with the families of all police officers deployed to Haiti on a regular basis, and is working in close collaboration with policing partners who have members in mission to facilitate information sharing.

"Our thoughts are with our police colleagues on the ground and we hope for the safe return of Doug and Mark."

12:46 p.m. - From our Radio-Canada colleague Denis Ferland: The C-130 that flew to Port-au-Prince this morning will return later today with evacuees, most likely to CFB Trenton in Ontario.

1:01 p.m. - From colleague Cudmore, the CF second plane that left this morning -- the C-130 Hercules -- has arrived in Port-au-Prince.

1:05 p.m. - Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, alongside Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay and Liberal MP Denis Coderre, tells an assembly at a Haitian-Canadian community centre in Montreal that the federal government is doing "everything that had to be done and everything that must be done" to help Haiti after the disaster.

He thanks Canadians for the generosity they've shown already, but reiterates that "it's very important to give money."

1:55 p.m. - Defence Minister Peter MacKay visits HMCS Halifax before the frigate sails for Haiti, praises the "personal commitment" of the men and women involved in the Canadian military's relief operation.

He says the CF has seen a lot of "spontaneous expressions of generosity," including one sailor who was tasked to gather provisions who was given $7,000 worth of clothing from a local store that was due to be sent back to the factory.

MacKay also says CF members have "dug into their own pockets" and gathered items such as children's clothing and medical supplies from their cabinets to bring on the mission.

2:10 p.m. - From colleague Cudmore: The third CF flight today just left CFB Trenton. It's another C-17.

haiti-cda-ships584ajd.jpg
HMCS Halifax, right, and HMCS Athabaskan head out of Halifax harbour on Thursday on the way to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

2:12 p.m. - The CBC's Rob Gordon, on board HMCS Athabaskan as it pulls away from its home port, says the ship's officers have told him the crews of the Athabaskan and Halifax, some 500 sailors, are headed for a "light engineering mission." 

"Everything from using chain saws and concrete saws, hammers, pry bars, whatever they can do to clear up rubble, get people out of buildings, try to restore some of the things in the stricken area," he says.

2:56 p.m. - Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen make a donation to the Red Cross in Ottawa.

"I know Canadians everywhere have really been touched by the tragedy in Haiti, he tells reporters.

"I know people want to help, and those who want to help, and can help, are going to help."

When asked whether his government would consider opening up the immigration process for Haitians, Harper says its something the government "will be addressing in the coming days."

"Our priority right now, as you know, is obviously to get relief effort, search-and-rescue in particular, on the ground. That is happening," he says. "The minister of immigration has been discussing these matters with us, and we will have announcements in the not-too-distant future."

Marcil-Serge-200.jpg3:36 p.m. - Former Quebec MP Marcil alive and safe

Former MP and Quebec MNA Serge Marcil has been located in Haiti and is safe, the Quebec premier's office and Marcil's employer confirm.

Marcil, who now works for an engineering firm, arrived in Haiti just hours before the quake struck.

A spokesperson for the premier says a UN official contacted Marcil's family to tell them he'd been found.

Marcil is reportedly injured, and is in transit to receive medical attention.