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Canada committed to Haiti?s long-term rebuilding: Harper
Andrew Mayeda, Canwest News Service: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 10:53 AM
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper shakes hands with his Haitian counterpart Jean-Max Bellerive as Haiti's President Rene Preval (C) looks on before a bilateral meeting in tents set up at the airport outside Port-au-Prince February 15, 2010.
Photo Credit: Fred Chartrand/Pool, Reuters
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti ? Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday that tighter federal finances in the coming years will not deter the Canadian government from fulfilling its commitment to fund the long-term reconstruction of Haiti.
?We were clear before the earthquake that Haiti is a long-term priority for the government. We don?t intend to leave this time until the job is done,? the prime minister told reporters here.
Harper?s remarks came after he met Haitian President Rene Preval and Jean-Max Bellerive, the Haitian prime minister, on the first day of a two-day trip to the quake-ravaged country.
Upon arriving in Port-au-Prince, the prime minister announced the government would provide up to $12 million to build a temporary base for the Haitian government.
Most government buildings, including the iconic presidential palace, were destroyed or damaged in last month?s quake. Since then, Preval and his cabinet have been running the government out of a police station, holding news conferences under a mango tree.
Bellerive formally asked Canada to assist in building the temporary base, which will accommodate key ministries and Haitian public servants.
The base will be furnished with semi-permanent shelters, office equipment and communications gear. It will also be equipped with electricity, water and cooling systems, as well as sanitation facilities.
Construction will begin once the Haitian government confirms a location.
Read it on Global News: Canada committed to Haiti?s long-term rebuilding: Harper
Andrew Mayeda, Canwest News Service: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 10:53 AM
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper shakes hands with his Haitian counterpart Jean-Max Bellerive as Haiti's President Rene Preval (C) looks on before a bilateral meeting in tents set up at the airport outside Port-au-Prince February 15, 2010.Photo Credit: Fred Chartrand/Pool, Reuters
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti ? Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday that tighter federal finances in the coming years will not deter the Canadian government from fulfilling its commitment to fund the long-term reconstruction of Haiti.
?We were clear before the earthquake that Haiti is a long-term priority for the government. We don?t intend to leave this time until the job is done,? the prime minister told reporters here.
Harper?s remarks came after he met Haitian President Rene Preval and Jean-Max Bellerive, the Haitian prime minister, on the first day of a two-day trip to the quake-ravaged country.
Upon arriving in Port-au-Prince, the prime minister announced the government would provide up to $12 million to build a temporary base for the Haitian government.
Most government buildings, including the iconic presidential palace, were destroyed or damaged in last month?s quake. Since then, Preval and his cabinet have been running the government out of a police station, holding news conferences under a mango tree.
Bellerive formally asked Canada to assist in building the temporary base, which will accommodate key ministries and Haitian public servants.
The base will be furnished with semi-permanent shelters, office equipment and communications gear. It will also be equipped with electricity, water and cooling systems, as well as sanitation facilities.
Construction will begin once the Haitian government confirms a location.
Read it on Global News: Canada committed to Haiti?s long-term rebuilding: Harper