Canada doubles tsunami aid to $80 million
Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 12:12 am
Good stuff! Hopefully it will go up. We think we have problems with mad cow until we realize other countrys' problems.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...hub=CTVNewsAt11
CTV.ca News Staff
Prime Minister Paul Martin announced Canada was doubling its aid to tsunami-ravaged countries to $80 million after a meeting with cabinet Sunday.
He also announced that Canada's 200-member disaster team known as DART would likely be deployed to tsunami-ravaged areas in southeast Asia upon word from a Canadian reconnaissance team.
Confirmation from the team is expected Monday after they receive an aerial tour of the region to survey the damage.
DART offers services such as water purification, mobile field hospitals, command and control centres and some reconstruction.
New measures outlined by Martin include the following:
* Donations: Canadians may claim donations made up until Jan. 11, on their 2004 tax return
* Supplies: Ottawa is making emergency supplies from its national stockpile available to these regions. The supplies include: 20,000 blankets, 40 electrical generators, and 1,000 water purification tablets.
* Forensics: An additional 10 forensic experts will be sent to Thailand to help with the identification process.
* Immigration: Effective immediately, existing applications for permanent resident visas will be fast-tracked for those family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents from the region.
* Memorial: On Jan. 8 there will be a national memorial held in Ottawa for tsunami victims. Until then, all Canadian flags on federal buildings will be lowered to half-staff effective 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
Martin's Sunday announcement came after meetings with senior cabinet ministers and diplomats from the hardest-hit countries, including Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia.
At least three ministers -- Defence Minister Bill Graham, Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew and International Co-operation Minister Aileen Carroll -- were in Ottawa for the meeting.
Western ministers, including Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Finance Minister Ralph Goodale, dialed in to the session by telephone.
Diplomats from devastated countries, such as India and Thailand, thanked the Canadian people for their help after Martin's announcement.
Criticism of Canadian response time
Government critics were quick to say that Martin and other federal government officials stayed on vacation for much too long and delayed Ottawa's response to the disaster.
Martin rejected these claims and said he had a travelling office set up on his vacation in Morocco.
"I had a full set-up. As soon as this event took place, I was on the phone directing the situation in Canada or on the phone with other world leaders," he said.
He said he didn't take the government jet to come home because he was able to coordinate the Canadian effort on vacation.
Martin arrived back in Ottawa late Saturday after cutting short his Christmas vacation in Morocco, about a week after the earthquake and tsunamis ravaged coasts along the Indian Ocean.
Earlier Sunday, Graham rejected criticism that Ottawa's response was bogged down in bureaucratic infrastructure while senior officials vacationed abroad.
"I was in contact with the prime minister and with Aileen Carroll and Pierre Pettigrew as the week went on, and we had a very good team with officials meeting here around the clock, so the government was functioning as you know," Graham told CTV's Question Period.
Graham said the expensive cost of sending the DART team was one of the reasons delaying its deployment. He added that the team could not be sent without a go-ahead from the local governments.
"Also, the other factor is the complication of putting 200 people on the ground in a foreign country and making sure they want them there and you know where you're going to go when you get there," he said.
Canadian aid is already on its way
Canada has already sent two planeloads of emergency supplies and had pledged $40 million in aid, as well as placing a moratorium on debt from the affected countries.
Last week officials promised to match, dollar-for-dollar, contributions made by Canadians until Jan. 11. Canadians have so far donated at least $36 million, Martin said Sunday.
Meanwhile, the first Canadian plane has already landed in Sri Lanka and the second is expected to touch down on Sunday.
But if Canadian troops are going to be deployed, it could be weeks before they hit the ground.
"Other countries can get here quicker because they're quite simply closer," said Lt.-Col. Mike Voith.
CTV's Murray Oliver reported Sunday that the Canadian presence on the ground is minimal and survivors were wondering why.
When Indonesians find out where he is from, they ask him where the Canadian help is, he said.
"Certainly, there are teams from a lot of other countries here, but so far, no Canadians," he said from Banda Aceh.
With files from Canadian Press
Archived topic from Anythingforums, old topic ID:1594, old post ID:21097
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...hub=CTVNewsAt11
CTV.ca News Staff
Prime Minister Paul Martin announced Canada was doubling its aid to tsunami-ravaged countries to $80 million after a meeting with cabinet Sunday.
He also announced that Canada's 200-member disaster team known as DART would likely be deployed to tsunami-ravaged areas in southeast Asia upon word from a Canadian reconnaissance team.
Confirmation from the team is expected Monday after they receive an aerial tour of the region to survey the damage.
DART offers services such as water purification, mobile field hospitals, command and control centres and some reconstruction.
New measures outlined by Martin include the following:
* Donations: Canadians may claim donations made up until Jan. 11, on their 2004 tax return
* Supplies: Ottawa is making emergency supplies from its national stockpile available to these regions. The supplies include: 20,000 blankets, 40 electrical generators, and 1,000 water purification tablets.
* Forensics: An additional 10 forensic experts will be sent to Thailand to help with the identification process.
* Immigration: Effective immediately, existing applications for permanent resident visas will be fast-tracked for those family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents from the region.
* Memorial: On Jan. 8 there will be a national memorial held in Ottawa for tsunami victims. Until then, all Canadian flags on federal buildings will be lowered to half-staff effective 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
Martin's Sunday announcement came after meetings with senior cabinet ministers and diplomats from the hardest-hit countries, including Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia.
At least three ministers -- Defence Minister Bill Graham, Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew and International Co-operation Minister Aileen Carroll -- were in Ottawa for the meeting.
Western ministers, including Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Finance Minister Ralph Goodale, dialed in to the session by telephone.
Diplomats from devastated countries, such as India and Thailand, thanked the Canadian people for their help after Martin's announcement.
Criticism of Canadian response time
Government critics were quick to say that Martin and other federal government officials stayed on vacation for much too long and delayed Ottawa's response to the disaster.
Martin rejected these claims and said he had a travelling office set up on his vacation in Morocco.
"I had a full set-up. As soon as this event took place, I was on the phone directing the situation in Canada or on the phone with other world leaders," he said.
He said he didn't take the government jet to come home because he was able to coordinate the Canadian effort on vacation.
Martin arrived back in Ottawa late Saturday after cutting short his Christmas vacation in Morocco, about a week after the earthquake and tsunamis ravaged coasts along the Indian Ocean.
Earlier Sunday, Graham rejected criticism that Ottawa's response was bogged down in bureaucratic infrastructure while senior officials vacationed abroad.
"I was in contact with the prime minister and with Aileen Carroll and Pierre Pettigrew as the week went on, and we had a very good team with officials meeting here around the clock, so the government was functioning as you know," Graham told CTV's Question Period.
Graham said the expensive cost of sending the DART team was one of the reasons delaying its deployment. He added that the team could not be sent without a go-ahead from the local governments.
"Also, the other factor is the complication of putting 200 people on the ground in a foreign country and making sure they want them there and you know where you're going to go when you get there," he said.
Canadian aid is already on its way
Canada has already sent two planeloads of emergency supplies and had pledged $40 million in aid, as well as placing a moratorium on debt from the affected countries.
Last week officials promised to match, dollar-for-dollar, contributions made by Canadians until Jan. 11. Canadians have so far donated at least $36 million, Martin said Sunday.
Meanwhile, the first Canadian plane has already landed in Sri Lanka and the second is expected to touch down on Sunday.
But if Canadian troops are going to be deployed, it could be weeks before they hit the ground.
"Other countries can get here quicker because they're quite simply closer," said Lt.-Col. Mike Voith.
CTV's Murray Oliver reported Sunday that the Canadian presence on the ground is minimal and survivors were wondering why.
When Indonesians find out where he is from, they ask him where the Canadian help is, he said.
"Certainly, there are teams from a lot of other countries here, but so far, no Canadians," he said from Banda Aceh.
With files from Canadian Press
Archived topic from Anythingforums, old topic ID:1594, old post ID:21097
