Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean hugs Maile Alphonse in Jacmel, Haiti. Alphonse lost her mother in the earthquake, the godmother of Jean's daughter, Marie-Eden. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean ended her two-day tour of Haiti with a visit to Jacmel on Tuesday, bringing a message of hope to the shattered city and her former homeland.

The Canadian Governor General, who was born in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, travelled by helicopter to Jacmel, the colourful port city she considers the source of her family roots — a place where, as a child, she spent many happy summers with relatives.

Jean arrived at an airstrip and shook hands with Canadian soldiers, thanking them for their efforts in the wake of a catastrophic earthquake in January that killed more than 200,000 people.

She visited a field hospital that Canadian soldiers built in Jacmel after the Jan. 12 earthquake. At least 10,000 people have been treated at the hospital since the earthquake, which is now being shut down — but the government is leaving behind some of the infrastructure it has built, including a water-purification unit and latrines.

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean and her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, chat with a displaced family while visiting a displaced-persons camp Monday in Léogäne, Haiti. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

Landmarks now rubble

Friends and well-wishers members trailed the Governor General as she toured the city and visited childhood landmarks, many of which had been reduced to rubble in the earthquake.

At one point Tuesday, Jean shared a tearful embrace with Maile Alphonse, the daughter of Magali Marcelini, a friend of Jean's who died in the earthquake.

Jean also met with women's groups and civic leaders for a blunt exchange about problems facing the region: the collapsed school system, a dearth of private-sector investment in the agriculture sector and a lack of reliable power production.

But the most persistent criticism was frustration with Haiti's government, which they say controls development planning and aid funding.

The head of one prominent local non-governmental organization said the earthquake exposed structural problems that already existed in the country.

"We need better governance," said Gerald Mathurin, head of CROS. "The capital, Port-au-Prince, has become the Republic of Haiti. ... There is a war between the nation and the state."

Help needed for other regions

When it was her turn to speak, Jean said Canada has not forgotten Haiti's smaller regions. She pointed to Canada's efforts to help thousands of people in Jacmel and Léogäne, while much of the international community's immediate reflex was to direct all aid to Port-au-Prince.

"These communities have been left alone for too long," Jean said.

She then launched into a detailed description of her hopes for the region, including a modernized port that could accommodate shipping traffic and tourism.

"I have this big dream," Jean said. "There is a refurbished port to get goods in and out ... there are extraordinary beaches. There are kilometres of white sandy beaches....

"If we could get ships back in here, to see the port of Jacmel rediscover its pride, to work with all its vigour, it would be extraordinary."

Jean said the ideas are there, because numerous development plans have already been made for the country.

The Governor General is scheduled to travel to the Dominican Republic on Wednesday to meet with the president and other officials to discuss the reconstruction effort in neighbouring Haiti.

With files from Paul Hunter and CBC News